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Is there a SS amp that can offer tube bliss?

I currently own a tube system and love the sound. But honestly I'm not sure if I have the proper disposition for this tube thing. I cannot stand the constant worry over tube wear, looking around for NOS tubes, and wondering if maybe...just maybe my system will sound better if I spend still more money on different tubes. I would love to find a SS amp that will give me what my tube gear does and rid me of the worry about maintenance and the discontent inherent in tube upgrading. I've heard the Clayton M100s are wonderful and offer a "tube" sound. Any other SS amps to replace tubes? Any advice is most welcome.
Thank you.
samwise

Showing 1 response by bombaywalla

bombaywalla's avatar
bombaywalla
1,958 posts
 
Just a word on the Claytons - I have no personal experience w/ them but I have *read* that these amps favour a low impedance speaker over a high(er) impedance speaker. In particular, the M100s seemed to perform stellar with a 4 Ohms speaker. From the pro review (if you are willing to give it any credit!) it seemed that even 8 Ohms would not bring out the very best from them. Search the archives of http://www.soundstage.com
The reason I know this 'cuz they were #1 on my short-list but I ended up buying the German Symphonic Line amps as I could not find Claytons in my price range. IMHO, the Symphonic Line amps also offer tube-like performance. All the Symphonic Line owners I have communicated with mutually agree that these amps have "soul". These amps are available from Klaus of Odyssey Audio. Of course, this could be viewed as a biased opinion as I am an owner.
FWIW.
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