Tube amp/integrated with bass grip for Aerial 7Ts


So I’ve upgraded my speakers from Aerial bookshelves (5B in the kitchen and 5T in the living room) to Aerial 7T in the living room. Amazing difference in both low end and clarity of midrange when powered by my Luxman integrated vs 5Ts. That amp just grips the woofers and produces the most realistic drums and low piano notes I’ve ever heard in my life (even better than my old Classe Omicron and Aerial 10T combo I sold years ago due to space issues in my prior living arrangement). My other amp is Cary SLI-80 F1 integrated, an amp I always loved powering smaller speakers, but it simply falls apart in the low end powering the 7Ts Looking to upgrade to either a tube amplifier or integrated (not picky, my DAC has volume control and is my only source) that will come close to Luxman in the low end grip. Thinking Audio Research 75SE or 150SE? What other amps should I be looking at. My budget is under 10K used. I'm keeping the Luxman as I listen 8 hours a day while working, tube amp would be for evenings and weekends.
astelmaszek

Showing 1 response by shredder

While not a tube integrated, I would check out the Ayre AX-5/20. I use it to power my Aerial Model 9s and have heard it with the 7Ts. Excellent synergy. The amp is dead quiet and has a rich and musical tone. To me, it has the good qualities of tube amplification without the downsides. In my system, it replaced (and bettered imho) much more expensive separates, including a very fine tube preamp (Cary SLP-05 w/Ultimate Upgrade).