search for musical s.s. yields a tube epiphany

howdy folks. i have been on a determined mission to find a solid state amplifier that my ears would consider truly musical. with great hope i auditioned varying systems of krell, mccormack, arc, pass labs, musical fidelity, c.j., mac., etc. sampled these fine offerings at some of the higher end audio stores here in san diego.

systems were tweaked by very passionate two-channel enthusiast - swapping out several different speakers in the $7-12 thousand range, amps in the $3-8 thousand range. i feel like i was listening to some of the best configurations these stores knew how to throw together {within my budgetary dreamscape}. keep in mind many of these businesses have a few decades under there belt. point being that i believe i was allowed a fair shake at how this gear was intended to sound.

anyhoot, as i settled in and did some critical listening to my dedicated tracks from jeff buckly, nora jones, ben harper, john coltrane, john scofield etc. - i kept waiting for the moment when the emotion of the artist’s intention might reach out and capture me. i’d catch a fleeting glimpse here and there of an engaging sort of dynamic that almost confused my brain into thinking that - if i opened my eyes - i would find buckly’s ghost wailing his haunting “hallelujah”. yet, these were just fleeting moments of bliss before i’d catch the sense of some electrical veil. don't really know audiophile lingo but that's how it appeared in my head.

on some level all of these systems had something wonderfully powerful and dynamic in their sonic signature. yet, all in all, my deep desire for exposure to the “soul” of my tunes was never really satisfied.

i was becoming a bit disheartened {even considered that my hearing might not quite be what it used to - daunting consideration at 36}.

i was blown away when happening upon a little $1700 integrated tube system. initially drawn more to the looks of it - i could not believe the stunning presence of nora’s silky voice or the air and decay around each instrument. how could all this magic be coming from a mere 55 wpc. i cant tell you how relieved i was to finally hear what i had been craving.

i was born at night, but not last night. i realize there must have been a perfect synergy between this particular unit, the source, connections and speakers but i didn’t really matter much to me. after all i was finally hearing what it sounds like when artist are playing something live right in front of me.

there were some serious downfalls when the music became more involved/complex and demanding on the int, amp. but again i wasn't too discouraged because something innate told me i was at least on the right track.

yes, a simple ‘rogue chronus’ integrated brought me into a brand new perspective in how i would be seeking upgrades in my future. now the ‘tube’ hook was set... what else was available? i had to begin rethinking everything. i found myself not knowing my arse from my elbow on where to start. all i really knew was that i now had my emotions guiding me into recreating that type of spiritual/liquid sound. it’s all i could think about.

auditioned better and better integrated equipment. then made the mistake of listening to ‘cary’s v-12r and slp 98 set up. dang it. i went in for the touareg and they gave me the keys to the friggin ferrari. my jaw is still on the floor. unbelievable sound!!! it seemed to be the perfect combination of what i thought the best of what s.s. and tube format’s were trying to achieve. way out of my price range in retail but i have a hunch i’ll make it work here on the “gon”.

any feedback?

will check in when the dust settles.

cheers.