TUBE AMP LOVERS - What SS amp makes you smile???


I'm looking for input from tube amp lovers that have switched from tube to solid state amplifiers and not looked back.

What tube amp did you move on from?

What SS amp provided the same level of musicality, keeping you smiling for the long-haul?

Thanks.
barrelchief
Symphonic Line Kraft 300 monoblocks. I have not "moved on" from tubes, as I still have my CAT JL-1 monos, but the SL Kraft monos require less care and feeding than the CATs.
Ps your example with the NAD underscores Minorl's point of accurately driving the speakers. My bet is that the NAD is more electrically compatible with the MMGs than your tube amps. One can often be surprised by results that are totally unexpected. I'm not at all surprised by that result with Magenapan speakers UNLESS you are using high powered tube monoblocks.
Tubegroover wrote:
"Ps your example with the NAD underscores Minorl's point of accurately driving the speakers. My bet is that the NAD is more electrically compatible with the MMGs than your tube amps. One can often be surprised by results that are totally unexpected. I'm not at all surprised by that result with Magenapan speakers UNLESS you are using high powered tube monoblocks."

Yes, this seems to be the case. The modest NAD amp is indeed a better match with the MMGs. A very pleasant surprise!

The MFA amps are rated @120 WPC into 8 ohms and I run 4 KT-88's Rubys in each. The Rubys are not as "punchy" as the last power tubes I used in the amps, Genalex Gold Lions, so perhaps the Gennies would be significantly better than the Rubys w/ the MMGs, but I sort of doubt it.

The tube amps sound glorious with my Sonus Faber Liuto monitors. I've yet to run the SF off the NAD because I'm enjoying the MMG's so much. If I had the budget, I'd love to try the MMG's with, say, a pair of Odyssey Stratos monos, for example. :) But it's highly unlikely I would ever sell my tube amps to finance that sort of move.

At any rate, I don't want to derail this thread, but clearly there is room in this tube lover's home for an SS amp, especially one that mates well with my Lumi preamp.