Pass Labs XA30.5 and ModWright KWA150

Tube-like to me means: Dimensionality of images, bloom and decay, a sense of instruments actually present. Then why not just get a tube amp? Well, issues of maintenance and heat, along with typically lower damping factor. Some pure class A solid state gear gets you part way toward tube sound (but never all the way of course).

Right. The Pass will run near as hot as a tubed amp with similar power. The Pass is overbuilt and is essentially no maintenance. However, if you have a speaker that can work well with a tubed amp, and you are looking for something that sounds like a tubed amp, then buy a tubed amp. You will spend more time trying to get the SS amp to sound like a tubed amp, than time spent with any maintenance issues that are likely with a tubed amp in the first place.

There are some good choices with autobiasing, good customer support, and very good build. You can often find something with an intact warranty at a used price from dealers.

SS amps can work very well, but they take much care and effort.

A Pass amp that works a bit more like a tube amp, especially in terms of damping AND being a very easy load for the tube preamp would be the First Watt Aleph J if you can find one used. I think it works extremely well with smooth and highish impedance speakers (tube friendly speakers).

If you want tube-lie or better amp then look at Spectron amplifiers. One of the reviewers wrote:

"...when the original Musician III arrived for a review, I took the opportunity to ship the [VTL] Siegfrieds back to the factory"
- W. Donnelly

I amnot saying "run and buy it ASAP" but investigate, IMO, you must

All The Best
Rafael

"Tube-like to me means: Dimensionality of images, bloom and decay, a sense of instruments actually present... "

According to these criteria Spectron is the best "tube-like " ss amplifier I auditioned or owned. (There are very few other ss amps standing at this level or may be above but all are much more expensive)

Two people disagreed with this statement:

1) Semi who found combination of Athma-Shere and Merlin speakers to be better: YES, I AGREE WITH YOU. I visited Merlin room at last RMAF where it was matched with another OTL amp, Joule-Electra - YES, it is match made in heaven. BUT - OTL demands large degree of maintaince and OTL cannot drive well speakers with low impedance. For these reasons I do not own OTL and I presume many, many others too.

2) Zybar who compared it to simply excellent BAT VK150SE (at $18k retail, last time I checked). In order to compare more or less fairly "apple-to-apple" he must have Spectron monoblocks with all upgrades (about $11k last time I checked) and he did not specify it (yet...).

Mike