Pure analog system with high power


Dear Hifi lovers, I introduce myself, I'm new to this forum. 
I need your marvellous experience in order to choose my next gear. I currently have a Rega Brio amp driving a pair of Wharfedale Evo 4.2 and I'm looking for a big step up, starting for now from the amp.
I am a vinyl lover, I basically play just lps. I also added a Rega Aria phono stage.
Now what I'm looking for is a kind of purist's solution, don't need to pay for dacs, or particolar digital inputs or functions. I want an integrated, or separated amp+pre is also well appreciated, capable of at least 150W in 8 ohm / 250W in 4 ohm as sooner or later I'll buy for sure some Magnepans, maybe the .7, or anyway some Harbeth's. My aim is to get the best money value for my purpouses, that's why I was mentioning a pure analogue solution. Anyway I accept also recommendations based on gears with dacs or digital inputs as that's the market now. Prefer new stuff but also used is fine. Budget is around 3.500/4.000 dollars. Thanks in advance to all people willing to share some knowledge and sorry if something wasn't clear, you can ask me any kind of questions!
adversam

Showing 3 responses by perkadin

Well if you are starting with an amp you really must try tubes and your current speakers are pretty tube friendly. They have a certain realism in the way they make sound I haven’t been able to find as easily in SS gear.  I personally like push pull integrated amps.  With an integrated it’s easier to resell, no issues w pre/power synergy, and some push pull designs have enough juice for low efficiency speakers (though probably not Maggie’s).
I’m not sure what your local market looks like, but I love my Willsenton R8. Due to the backlog in manufacturing the resale prices are pretty close to new, and yes they will sell on the used market nearly immediately, which should tell you something.  I’d order one direct and if you don’t like it, you’ll find plenty of takers second hand. Otherwise try and find a Prima Luna or another highly popular tube amp manufacturer.  
I pair it with Dynaudio Contours which is actually an excellent match for a well built tube amp, especially with kt88 tubes. I’ve had monster SS amps in my system and the Willsenton gives up little in the bass department while offering wonderfully natural mids and highs. The Willsenton is almost 70lbs though, the transformers are massive which probably has something to do with it being speaker friendly. I use mine in triode mode.  It’s a holographic, natural, meaty sound with all the sizzle and snap you could ask for. 
When you say pure analog system, do you mean you want a tube amp?  Also, the best value for the money in my definition would be essentially free, which is a very real possibility in high end audio. I view value a bit differently and always consider resale valuation and total Cost of ownership.  I usually aim to break even on an audio purchase.  Buy used, get reputable, reliable, easy to sell brands and your main costs will be on records and wear and tear items like tubes and needles.  Don’t waste money on expensive digital equipment (the biggest losers are always feature based products that can become obsolete, but that doesn’t sound like it will be an issue.  Spend money on speakers and amplification (but don’t go too big as shipping and placement becomes a detriment to resale). I’d also avoid niche designs like Maggie’s that work best with specific music genres and are very equipment and room dependent.  
Tips- look for popular brands and models that come up ad nauseam in the forums, find out the typical prices they sell for and be patient. If you have trouble finding it used because it sells too quick, that’s probably a winner right there.  Buying local really helps as well, you generally won’t make back shipping costs on resale.  
I went w/ 120v since I’m in the US. I chose the KT88s and the standard preamp tubes which IMO sound amazing.  I’m in no rush to tube roll the preamp section but will eventually out of curiosity.  I tried some el34’s power tubes but I missed the bass and dynamics of the KT88’s, but they were incredible for jazz and vocals.  Also remember I’m using 85db speakers, you may fall in love w el34s.  I want to try KT77s next to see what they are like.  That’s the nice thing about tubes, you can tweak the sound in meaningful ways without purchasing all new gear.  Well I guess Tubes are new gear.  It also has a triode/ultra linear switch on the remote which has a dramatic effect on the sound. Triode is a little softer with better separation of instruments and ultra linear sounds more powerful and brings the vocals forward. These are not subtle audiophile differences either, your friends and family members will notice. It takes about 6 weeks or so for delivery but that should provide enough time to for you figure out what tubes to try.  
So many of my preconceived opinions on tubes were wrong (lack of detail, lack of bass, only for sensitive speakers) I just wish I hadn’t waited so long to try them.