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Mid-fi tube vs high-end SS

Hello everyone. I am new here but not new to audio. I’ve been meaning to buy a high-end permanent SS amp for 2 years now. But not sure how much improvement I can get.

 

A little about what I have. I use a high-quality tube amp I bought for around $1,500. 55 watts per channel Class A. With upgraded tubes it’s a little over $2,000. The amp I have is the Musical Paradise mp-501 I’ll link below. Using upgraded Kt-170 tubes along with some nos 5693 red tubes and 717-a tubes.

 

My audio knowledge and listen ability has improved substantially these past few years thanks partly to this tube amp. Sorry for the long-winded intro. My actual question is, how much improvement should I expect going from this tube amp to something high-end SS like the Gato 150 and the incredible DVA M225? Very little reviews on the Gatos, I’m hoping I could get some help here, even anything about the Gato 150 from users would be helpful. Ty

 

https://www.musicalparadise.ca/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=55

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Showing 1 response by mlsstl

mlsstl
1,407 posts
 

"...how much improvement should I expect?"

"Improvement" is probably not the right word.  What you can be sure of is that a solid state amp will sound "different" than your current amp.  Whether or not that will be an improvement is a matter of personal taste. SS amps typically have better control of the bass, but behave differently when they clip (which is one of the reasons for the trend toward high power in SS amps.)  Or, you may find you miss that rich "tube sound" that so many tube aficionados love.

In short, pick a likely SS candidate that is available for a home trial and can be returned if you don't care for it and see what you think.

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