the best 'tubey amp - warm,smooth,liquid' ?


i'm using the word 'tube' as the meaning of warm,smooth and liquid sound.
but i could't compare to some tube amps like mcintosh(mc275), cary(cad 805), arc(vs115) and conrad-johnson(premier) at one place and the same time.
some say mcintosh lean, cary weak and not bloom, arc not tubey and cj no clarity.
i need your experiences and advices.
actually i have a difficulty to match speaker systems with.
zabiaud
can we say 'the big speaker systems like proac d40 or b&w (4ohm) generally don't go well with tube amps'?

Yes, and I can take it a step further- 4 ohms does not go well with *any* amplifier, if **sound quality** is your goal. If *sound pressure* is your goal you will get some small benefit from using 4 ohms with transistors, but even transistors sound better into 8 or 16 ohms.

IOW if you are a loudspeaker manufacturer this is a simple way to get your speaker to seem smoother and more transparent- design for 8 or 16 ohms instead of 4.
By the way Trelja..no offense..but since your a "premier vendor" for Psvane tube's, I assume you have a legitimate licensed retail business with a retail website. Whats the name or your retail business and your retail website address so I don't feel like I'm buying tubes out of someone's home basement or off the back of a pick-up truck..
Audiozen, FWIW Joe (Trelja) has been in the audio business for some time. He used to work with Bud Fried and also imported the Consonance line.
Okay Atmasphere..so is Joe (Trelja) a Distributor or a Retailer..and again..does he have a business location and a website? Every legit Distributor I'm aware of in New York and California have websites and business locations. I don't like the feeling of doing business with a "Garage Distributor"..Heck..Bud Fried still has his transmission line speaker company going for years in PA. and has a website..Let me know the name of Trelja's website..
Audiozen, I hope you will respect my general distaste for conducting business in the discussion forums. In that vein, please feel free to let me know if you desire to contact me offline, and I'd be more than willing to answer whatever questions/concerns you may have beyond what I provide here.

But to address your (legitimate) concerns in brief, yet relatively informative fashion:
1) Yes. I do have a licensed business, registered in the USA and state of Pennsylvania.

However, following the old adage, "if you want to make a small fortune in audio, start with a large one", audio is not my "real (a lead software engineer at the local Blue Cross affiliate) job" but something to instead have some fun (and make some money) with

2) No. I do not have a website dedicated to vacuum tube sales. I do maintain three websites in the high-end audio marketplace, and with the IT background, there would be no issue in standing one up if I deem that day has come.

For me, a website, which is simply a vehicle for advertising oneself, does not a business make. Rather, it must transcend that. It's effort, dedication, commitment, willingness to learn the craft, transparency, equity, honesty, relationships and reputation one makes for themselves in the marketplace, and the ultimate teller of truth, time

3) Yes. I do sell tubes out of my home. As countless other high-end audio professionals do the same, I make no apologies for that. Sadly (at least for me), for the most part, the days of the brick and mortar audio store have passed away.

Yet, it's that lack of overhead that allows me to sell tubes or whatever other product I choose at or below those who do so directly from China, while providing the assurance of dealing with a (familiar, accessible, and approachable) North American entity

4) Further, I do enjoy the transparency the Audiogon, Audio Asylum, and other high-end audio sites provide, which serve as my vehicle of advertisement for now. Inherent in that are the assurances provided to the buyer via the seller's actual (not something they themselves claim) reputation/feedback, protections extended by the site, and the overall buying process itself.

Of course, I believe this works both ways. By that I mean if the seller conducts themselves in the proper manner, they will potentially also reap dividends

5) Entities (manufacturers/representatives of both vacuum tubes and assembled kit alike) in China often inquire regarding my willingness to formally represent them in North America. To date, I have demurred.

Likewise, European (vacuum tube, raw parts [i.e. capacitors, transformers, loudspeaker drivers], and assembled kit alike) companies have also approached me about establishing a formal relationship. For the most part, I don't see the type of advantage I demand being able to provide to the end user/customer

Now, on to something far more important, Bud Fried passed away in 2005. He remains the model of something unfortunately no longer present in this business except in very rare instance. And on a personal level, I continue to miss him terribly...