I am a BIG fan of the 6L6 tube, but, that would mean a pushpull amp. The KT 66 is a very similar sounding tube. Both have a rich, harmonically dense sound without sounding murky or sluggish or soft on dynamics (some of my personal issue with some 300B amps). I love real or clones of Western Electric 124 amps (350B tube, which is the very expensive equivalent of the 6L6 tube) running the 6L6 tube, and other 6L6 vintage amps, like some RCA amps and Northern Electric amps. There are not that many current production 6L6 amps because they put out less power than roughly comparable tube types (e.g., EL34, KT88, 6550) which makes it hard to market a 6L6 amp to buyers who seem to only recognize power as a quality factor.
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That Sansui integrated looks terrific, and with Hashimoto trannies, it probably sounds great too (I have not heard this amp).
I know a young man who has heard various Western 124 clone amps (Deja Vu Audio) using vintage transformers and liked the sound so much that he planned on designing and building his own clone. Unfortunately, he got to hear the same clone amp with the real deal Western Electric 171C transformer. After that experience, he put aside the idea of building a clone because the model with the real output transformers sounded so much better, but, those transformers would make the build too expensive. That is how it goes in audio, something sounds really nice and you love it until you hear something better and that spoils your joy over the lesser item.
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Iron is indeed the king with tube gear, for both pushpull and single-ended amps. There is hardly anything new and novel in tube design, so most of it comes down to parts quality, build quality and voicing by the designer.
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At the recent Capital Audiofest, Vu set up Audio Note room at their behest. His store is extraordinarily interesting—all of the gear (except trade-ins) is tube-based, and some of it is the store’s own build or items built in collaboration with a builder in Italy who specializes in Western Electric rebuilds and reproductions. I’ve been there and witnessed numerous shoppers experience an audio revelation from hearing properly set up Audi Note gear. An even more profound shock awaits those who hear the Deja Vu-built custom horn speaker systems that utilize vintage drivers or reproductions of vintage drivers. This place must be experienced by anyone who can get to the DC area.
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I have not heard a direct comparison between the two (although I’ve heard both), and either would make a fine choice. The Oto is a terrific sounding amp that works well with any reasonably efficient speakers. Of course it works well with the AN-K.
i would expect a lot of other tube amps would sound fine too. I am partial to 6L6 or KT 66 amps. I particularly like the Synthesis A40 (60 wpc KT 66 amp), which comes with a good built in DAC and remote control (a big plus to me).
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I don't think you would go wrong with the choice of an OTO. As to changing coupling caps, this is a matter of personal taste, so be prepared to switch back if the new caps are not to your taste. My local Audio Note dealer, who also builds his own tube amps and linestages, HATES anything Mundorf. I have not done any serious comparisons myself, but he has, and does not like them in either amps or speaker crossovers. He also hates Duelunds. This is a matter of taste and system tuning, so don't expect any particular change to necessarily be an upgrade, regardless of price and reputation.
Certainly upgraded Audio Note parts should be considered because their gear is voice for these components. This same dealer has Audio Note parts lying around that are probably worth a small fortune. Many years ago, I asked about some caps on a shelf and was informed that they were silver foil Audio Note caps that cost north of $1,000 each.
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I've seen and heard the Backert gear at audio shows. It is hard to make a sonic evaluation of electronics at a show, but, I did like the very serious people designing and backing the product and I liked what I saw. You indeed should be looking at a power amp, and something from Audio Note is certainly a good place to look initially. While the K's are not in the extremely efficient category, they are fairly high in efficiency and are easy to drive and anything Audio Note offers should be in the running. I have not heard the Empress, but, I do own, and like very much, its sibling; I own Kageki monoblocs (parallel SET 2a3 amps). The Kageki's are slightly on the leaner sound side of the Audio Note family of amps, but they are among my favorites.
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If you are talking about an AN Kit amp, I don't think they are affiliated with Audio Note (uk). They have put together similar gear based on Audio Note design and buy those parts that Audio Note offers to the market, but, that does not mean they are as good as the real deal. They may be a good bargain, but, that is not to say they are the same.
Still, I generally like good EL84-based amps because they are lively, and punchy without sounding hard and brittle. I prefer that tube over something like a KT88 or 6550, KT120 or KT150 or other more powerful tubes. Some EL 34 amps are decent, but, generally, I prefer 6L6 or KT 66 the most among pentode/tetrode tubes in common use. There are exotic types, like 350B and th3 349 that I like even more, but, those are extremely rare and expensive (I own a 349 pushpull amp that puts out a whopping 5.5 watts per channel).
Among low-powered triodes, my favorite is probably the 45, but, it is a very low-powered tube; that tube would be followed by the 2a3.
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Not that much to go on, but the safer bet would probably be the EL84 amp. My 6.5 watt Kageki (parallel 2a3 SET) amp is enough, for me, with my 99 db/w speakers, but, I don't play my music that loud and on some music, the amp does seem to loose a bit of steam (doesn't really distort, but it stops getting louder). My speakers are considerably more efficient than the AN-K speaker. The issue is whether you prefer the sound of the 2a3 when playing the vast majority of music, and if so, how much would you be willing to give up on the capability to play very loudly. I prioritize good play at very low volume level myself, and the Kagekis deliver on that score. For the record, I currently run a pushpull 349 amp that I actually prefer to the Kagekis in my current system; both are good, the 349 amp is a bit richer sounding and is a touch more dynamic.
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As mentioned above, Deja Vu Audio makes custom amps. These days, they focus on fairly expensive replica/rebuilds of Western Electric amps. They do get trade-ins of vintage tube amps as well as some of their older, and more affordable, past models. Most of those older amps are pushpull triode amps, though some are tetrode/pentode amps. As a Audio Note dealer, I am sure they can make good recommendations on suitable amps for the AN-K speakers.
There is an interesting builder named Tube Audio Labs that makes some very nice looking amps. I have not heard any of their builds, so I am going on the pictures and the kinds of amps they choose to clone--Korneff, Western Electric, etc. In other words, the builder copies good stuff.
http://tubeaudiolab.com/
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What Atmasphere is saying that you might want the bit of extra power that pushpull delivers rather than the flea power of the common SET tubes. What he has been very diplomatic about not mentioning is that he manufactures output transformerless (OTL) amps. Atmasphere's OTL amps are also worth considering. OTL amps are very lively, immediate and engaging. Good ones deliver clarity and dynamics without being harsh or overly "brittle" sounding.
Many OTL amps were not particularly stable and were prone to going bad, which in some cases, meant damage to the speakers. But, this is NOT the reputation of Atmasphere amps. They are quite reliable.
As with any amp, the basic tonal balance is a matter of taste, and to me, the Atmasphere amps are a touch on the lean side. That might not be a problem with the AN-K, because, if anything, they tend toward being slightly too warm and rich in the upper bass. In any case, if you have a chance, you should audition an OTL. The liveliness of this kind of amp can be quite addictive. I've heard one of their bigger amps with Audio Note speakers (I can't recall the model) and the combination sounded very good to my ears. The only other caveat is that on several occasions, I've heard a bit of noise coming from speakers hooked up to Atmasphere amps, but in all these cases, the speakers being used were quite a bit more efficient than the AN-K model so they were more sensitive to noise issues.
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When I brought up ANK not being affiliated with Audio Note (uk), it was not to disparage, in any way, ANK. I was merely saying that the products are not the same. ANK utilizes the same sort of "level" system and says it uses genuine Audio Note parts, etc., but: 1) the circuits are slightly different; just because some parts are sources from Audio Note, it does not mean the quality of all parts are the same; and 3) the "level" ascribed by ANK are not necessarily the equivalent of those of Audio Note.
I personally have limited experience with the ANK kits. A friend built a DAC that sounded very good to me, so I know that they are capable of making very good kits that represent a solid bargain. I just don't know how their products stack up against Audio Note.
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Rooze,
I completely agree with you about Deja Vu Audio and Synthesis. I too, really like their amps and think that the A40 (KT66, built in DAC) would be a fantastic choice with the AN-K, except that the OP has a Backert linestage and is only looking for a power amp.
I own a Deja Vu custom-built linestage and a Deja Vu custom-built stereo power amp based on a Western Electric 133a amplifier (has genuine Western Electric parts, including the correct input and output transformers). I actually like the 133a amp more than i do the Audio Note Kageki amps I also own. This store is certainly a place to discover gear you will not find anywhere else and experience a different kind of sound that is a far cry from conventional high end.
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