Tube Mono-Block Recommendation


Currently I have the Bob Carver 305, Looking to upgrade to something else in the Class A Region. Budget is around 12000 US, New or Used any recommendation.

I like the Amps, to be fast, Accurate and musical as possible. Giving me close to Transistor Amp Clarity but with the magic off tubes.
dragon_vibe
Looking at the specs you will want something with at least 100watts in most rooms.

So- how big is your room, how lively is it and how loud do you like to play the stereo?

If you are dealing with tube amplifiers, its better to rate the speaker in terms of efficiency rather than sensitivity. So that number is 93 db, a moderate efficiency and why in most cases 100 watts (or slightly more) ought to do the job, unless you have a large room or it is particularly dead.
06-26-13: Dragon_vibe
Almarg thanks for the technical info, honestly I have no clue. What would you suggest? Mind you this is for midrange and Tweeter level. The speaker has its class D amp. I could always Bi-amp them using the Clayton Audio for the lower Woofers and the Tubes for the mids and tweets.
I have no specific suggestions, as I have no experience with Legacy speakers. My point was simply that the large impedance variations of the speaker in the mid-range and treble regions, as well as the low impedances and difficult phase angles that are reached at some frequencies in those regions, will cause the resulting sonics to be more sensitive to amplifier differences (particularly output impedance and damping factor) than would otherwise be the case. But without having experience with the particular speaker I have no idea what particular amplifier output impedances and damping factors would be optimal. (Output impedance and damping factor are inversely proportional to each other, so damping factor can affect sonics at mid and high frequencies as well as low frequencies, due to the interaction between output impedance and the variation of speaker impedance as a function of frequency).

So I would be hesitant to give a great deal of weight to amplifier recommendations that are based on experiences with speakers other than Legacy models having similar impedance characteristics.

Good luck in your search. Regards,
-- Al
Again, Al is right on. I am amused at amplifier reviews. It is a fact that the tonality of an amplifier changes dramatically with the speaker used. If the reviewer isn't using your exact speaker in a similar room with your speaker cables, the review is meaningless. Instead, rely on the experience of others with your speakers, or, better yet, buy used and experiment in your room. Then, sell if you are not satisfied, with little loss, considering the cost. There are some excellent VTL, CJ, and Wavac amps for sale now. None of them are mine. Good luck.
... fast, Accurate and musical as possible. Giving me close to Transistor Amp Clarity but with the magic off tubes.

Sounds like an AtmaSphere MA-1 - though sans-transformer, is likely clearer than a transistor amp.
Room is pretty dead, Its super loaded with Acoustic Panels and Foam is installed on the Ceiling.

The Size is: 8 Meters by 7 Meters and the height of the room is 3.4 Meters.

I was hoping more like 200 Watts per channel.

The option I am thinking of is:

VAC 300.1 Set in monos or Maybe The Atma MA-2

I don't mind increasing budget don't want to go too crazy. never do end up spending 8 hours a day listening to music to justify something too expensive.

Had a look at Wavac but the amount of watts it pushes out is not enough.