Hi Dragon: Why the 6550? My personal preference has always been EL34's for "lush" and EL84's for "refined" sound. Of course the amp's design and the rest of the system has a lot to do with it. I think that an Audio Research amp that I recently listened to used 6550's and it sounded more like a SS amp (very good SS) and was not romantic sounding at all. I also liked Jolida's 302 amp (EL34's) much more than the 502, so I guess that I am pretty consistent in my preference. Just curious as to what the 6550's do well. Maybe I will have listened to some of the other (6550) amps that will pop up on this thread and be able to answer my own question. PS: There is a new Chinese manufacturer by the name of Opera that has received good reviews. Search the SET asylum at AA and you will find info on their website. They are supposed to be low cost, but the $ amounts are not specified. They make push/pull amps as well. An ASUSA 30 watt push pull power amp just went for $275.00 on Ebay, but you will need more power than that for your taste in music (classical) and for your new (really big) listening room. Sorry if this ends up bending the thread, but maybe it will bring out additional info. DK.
