Going to take the plunge.

Suggest a Cary CAD-300B pair of monoblocks and a small pair of Coincident speakers (very effiicient). Then, find and restore a Dynaco FM-3 tuner and you are home. If you really want a superb DAC, try the Musical Fidelity DAC-21 recently reviewed in HiFi World, a UK mag.

Take the plunge!!! You won't regret it!

I currently own several tube amps, I own the Reference 3A MM DeCapos speakers that you mentioned and my buddy owns a pair of Coincident speakers (mentioned by the previous poster) tha are currently for sale on this site. I have also listened to his Coincident Partial Eclipses in my system, so I can comment.

Although I haven't heard it, I have seen the Sophia Baby and I've read the reviews. It is TINY. If it is as good as the reviews state, its a winner because of its small footprint.

I currently own the Cayin TA-30 integrated tube amp that is advertised on A-goN by Paul at Bizzy Bee Audio. I bought one of his "slight shipping container damage" units for $499 and it is KILLER at that price. Honestly, it kills several more expensive tube integrated amps that I've owned over the last couple of years. Also, it is GORGEOUS when you see it up close. IMHO, its performance FAR exceeds its price. And, if you get a speaker that is easy to drive, like the DeCapo or Coincidents, you can run it in SE mode at about 4 watt/ch. and it is even better. In push-pull mode, it has about 30-35 watts ch., which should be enough for most speakers in a med. bedroom.

I also own a pair of BottleHead Paramours that I assembled from the $500 kit. These are really good amps if you want to learn something and have basic soldering skills.

The Reference 3A MM Decapos is a really good speaker! However, you want to be cautious about placement in a bedroom as they may have too much bass for some people if placed close to a wall (they are rear ported).

I would also recommend the Coincident speakers and Triangle speakers for lowish powered tube amps. My buddy's Coincident Partial Eclipses are listed on A-goN for $1175 and they are a KILLER speaker for this price/this application, but, they are floorstanders any you may not have the room. The Trianlge Titus can be a great speaker @ under $500 if your CD/TT is not bright sounding already. The Titus is REALLY GOOD in the right system, but can sound bright in the wrong setup. It could also use a subwoofer for most people's taste.

Enjoy the trip!!! You're gonna love it!!!

TIC

The Decware Zen amps should be on everyone's short list of SET amps. Very reasonably priced and the sound is truley magical. Also, for the SET crowd, the Hornshoppe Horn's clearly outclass the Coincident Triangle' IMO.

Taking the tube dip can be an awsome experience. Unfortunately, lots of tube amps, just as SS amps are underwhelming.

Enjoy the plunge.

Paul

a cj push/pull integrated or an arc would be nice too.

Huntermusic ...Look before you leap! It's like getting married.