do tubes rock ??

X947, try a pair of the new Wolcotts for a tube amp that rocks, however with your speaks you may want to consider No_money's responce, the Thiels need mondo power to really shine.

Try an amp with el-34 tubes. I've owned amps with 6550, kt88, and kt99. The el-34 is great for rock. Tube amps in general do not have the authoritative bass of a solid state though. They do get the sound and growl of electric guitars right.

YOU NEED A PAIR OF KRELLS FOR YOUR CS7s IN THAT LARGE ROOM TUBES DONT MAKE IT. CS7s NEED A LOT OF CURRENT PLAYING LOUD

try a melos music director or ma333 preamp - the gain outta this thing is amazing - my amps, while never lacking for power before, drive my speakers w/a lot more authority w/this nice tube preamp. outstanding dynamics. doug

I agree with Carl. First of all, your room is pretty large. Second of all, your speakers are lower impedance. On top of that, they aren't SUPER efficient. You will need a very rugged tube amp with a lot of "guts" to do the job. I would also suggest something on the warm side of neutral if mating them with Thiele's. While some of the big VTL's might do it, the first amp that comes to mind would be the Mesa Baron. If your into rock and roll, you know what a Mesa / Boogie amp is. It's the same company, just a different point of view when making guitar vs. audiophile amps. Otherwise, i would look into a BIG, high current SS amp and possibly a tube preamp. From what i hear through the grapevine, the CTC modified Parasound HCA-3500 will supposedly stand toe to toe with ANY amplifier on the market. These run $5000, which includes the purchase of the amp. My source tells me that they have "embarrased" amps costing $40,000 in direct comparisons. If you've got the cash, i'm sure that they would be well worth checking into. Sean >