Lush and Romantic Tube Amps

@fthompson251 

I have 2 VAC signature 200 IQ mono blocks and I agree with your assessment.  Nice and rich, but not "syrupy".  With KT 150's they really sing and have a lot of lower end punch. No one would confuse this with solid state, except for the great bottom end.  Great sound stage as well.  This would be an excellent choice for the OP to run in stereo mode.

OP-You have received many excellent amplifier recommendations above.  But +1 for what @rodman99999 says.  You can further refine the sound by rolling tubes.  Based on your objective, NOS Mullards and Telefunkens  would be an excellent starting point.  I prefer a lighter, more detailed sound, so I use Telefunkens and Amperex Bugle Boys.  Its fun to try different tubes and assess the change in sound too.  Good luck

Russbutton, agreed you can save a good chunk of money building the VTA amps yourself....and definitely learn a lot about tube amps in the process.

Rodman and papafrog, for me tube rolling has been the best part of owning a tube amp. I've tried and own 6 or 7 rectifier tubes, and several versions of output tubes until I settled on my current pairing. Unfortunately I have WAY too many signal tubes as I got obsessed with 12AU7 style tubes. I think I have 40 or 50 pairs of tubes, and have rolled half of them through my amp......the subtle (or not subtle) changes are a blast to fine tune a tube amps sound. What I learned along the way is that NOS rectifier and driver tubes are vastly superior to current production versions.

@papafrgog ​​​& @vthokie83-

      While I totally agree with your assessments, regarding rolling amp valves; I'll bet the OP could save a passel of $$ (not to mention: possible sensitivity/efficiency matching headaches), were he to roll some warmer ones into his LTA preamp.

       Especially: if he's satisfied with the SPLs and performance of his existing amp and speaker combo, aside from that longing for a cozier presentation.

                                          Happy listening!