Anyone recommend a neutral tube amp?

I'm surprised no one mentioned Audio Research. Their claim to fame is 'neutrality'. And though some think them lean or dry, not compared to ss IMO. I have a Mac 275, like Tennis, driven by a ss Levinson 26s pre, and find that combo close to ideal for me. Although I'm sure any top ss pre would work fine; like Klyne, Krell, Ayre, Boulder, Goldmund, etc.

ARC would seem be leaders in the neutrality arena. I think my CAT JL2 would fall into the neutrality side of the ledger.

there has been a trend in recent years in amplifier design, which i would term convergence. tube amps are sounding more like solid state amps and solid state amps are sounding less "transistory".

most tube amps, excluding some set designs, have minor deviations from neutrality. yes, there is an occasional clunker, but it is not difficult to find a tube amp whose flaws are not objectionable, if resolution is your goal.

"...no warmer, cooler, lighter, darker, or sweeter than the music it transmitted." Atma-Sphere amps and preamps are by far the most neutrally transparent electronics I've heard in my system.

Albeit an 87dB sensitivity, specs on the Opera Callas monitors show an 8-Ohm nominal impedance. I'd give the Atma-Sphere M60s a try.

With regard to Audio Research ... historically I've never thought of ARC gear as quite as neutral as Neil suggests. For a long time they were the yang to CJ's yin. Their turn-of-the-century sound leaned toward a somewhat 'aluminized' flavor. *However* (imo) the latest batch of ARC Reference gear (Ref 3, 210, 610) along with their PH7 phono stage demonstrates vastly improved tonality, as near to neutral as I've heard from ARC. If anything, it is now reveals the barest hint of warmth - not entirely a bad thing.

I think of 'tonal neutrality' as relative - as Mrtennis suggests - you can hear differences in coloration between two pieces of gear, just as you can hear a difference in coloration between two concert halls. Its rare for two different amps to sound the same. 'Tonal transparency', if you will, can be truth relative to the source. How close to the sound of Grumiaux's "Rose" Guarneri does the gear render? Live music is a tune-up for the ears.

Tim

I thought my Conrad-Johnson Premier 140 was quite neutral, although as others have said, it is nearly impossible to confuse it with a solid-state amp. The 140 was replaced by LP70S and LP140M amps, so I am not sure how they sound.