SS amp - which one ???

I agree with Jax, if your looking for something like a tube sound the KWA 150 is the ticket. It is a best of both worlds amp. However that may be out of his price range. Also, funny Jax should mention the V5XE from Ayre . I just listened to this yesterday at a friends house. He was driving a pair of Vandy's. Of course it was hard for me to tell exactly how the Ayre contributes to the sound, but the system sounded great to me. It was my first time to ever hear anything from Ayre. I had heard the Vandy's at his house before driven by a BK Components receiver and I don't remember is sounding as nice as it does now. Also, I actually think the older Sims, specifically the W3/W5 don't exactly sound like tubes, but they are warm and lush and will get him close. He should be able to find a W3 used in his price range. I really like the W3, and I don't think PDspecl can go wrong with this either. I can't stand dry, cold sounding amps, but at the same time I don't like the hassle of tubes so it can be tricky finding a solid state solution. The other components Of course contribute to the sound as well so it helps to have a tube pre. Sometimes it just comes down to system/room synergy.

Nice to see the Quad 909 mentioned. It would suit your needs nicely.

However, I agree with Tvad, you will not find a SS amp that sounds like tubes.

Hello again. I wanted to clarify my post. My current amp is a Sonic Frontiers Power2 amp. Overall, my current set up is the best sounding system I've had but to be honest I have not tried much of what is mentioned above by other Agoners. I'm sure there are other other tube amps - Joule, VTL, AR..... that might sound better and certainly more tube like. The SF amp has plenty of power but uses 16 tubes. It's a tube amp but not overly tube sounding. However, It puts out enough heat to warm up that section of the house. Not bad in the winter but not so good in the summer. My prior set up was older M series Mirages that just could not get enough power. I tried running these with Quicksilver 8417 amps and ended up bi-amping with a SS amp since QS amps could not provide enough juice to power the bottom end properly. I figured the SF amp could power most speakers and provide more options for speakers. Hence the reason for purchase. Fast forward - I now have the QUAD 22L2 speakers, VTL preamp which I just love for the money (acquired both for $1700). The QUADs are much more efficient versus the Mirages. So, I could get by with less wattage and hopefully avoid the eventual & costly retube issue of the SF amp. So, I like tube sound but would like to reduce tube hassle, and heat. But as others have mentioned maybe a SS amp just won't do it.
I guess sometimes you can't have your cake and eat it too.
So, just not sure what to do at this point. Maybe I could acquire a SS amp or Hybrid amp for the warmer months and put the SF amp back in circuit for the cooler months. I'm sure someone will reply that I'm nuts. Maybe so.

I've been a tube guy for 20 years now

So, I like tube sound but would like to reduce tube hassle, and heat.

Sounds like you might be a bit confused!!:)

The SF Power 2 is a 110 lb monster and uses more tubes, and puts out more heat by far than any prior amp I've owned.