SS amp/preamp suggestions for Avalon Arcus?

I have Avalon Eclipse speakers and have used the following amps over the last 6 years in order of preference:

- Spectral DMA150 II
- Plinius SA100 III
- Adcom 545
- Rowland 3 Monos
- Music Reference RM9 II
- Muse 160 II
- Electrocompaniet ECI-1 integrated

Preamps used:
- Spectral DMC20 II
- CAT SL1 Signature III
- Superphon CD-MAXX

Solid state is definitely the way to go with Avalons. The folks from Avalon admitted as much. Adcom impressed me in terms of bang for the buck. Try the 750/5802 combo and you just might be surprised. Spectral was clearly the best overall. You might be able to get a DMA80/DMC12 in your price range. The Spectral stuff sounds real nice with the Avalons although you do need to use MIT cables. You don't need the real high end stuff, though. Old, entry level MIT cables do just fine. Sim, Pass and Ayre are probably worth trying as well although I have not heard them in my system. Good luck.

Consider how Avalon speakers are shown at CES, the Stereophile show and other trade shows. It is always with solid state electronics such as Ayre, Classe, Spectral and Muse. The Avalons are wonderful speakers but tend toward warmth. Also, they are not champions in terms of retrieving low level detail. Both of these factors tend to make them more suited for solid state. That is not to say that tubes will sound bad with Avalons. In fact, they will sound warm and rich as you have described. I got decent sound for a couple years with a CAT Signature III and Music Reference RM9 II. But I didn't get the same level of detail retrieval as with solid state. Since S2K Dude indicates a desire for detail over warmth, I think SS is the way to go.