System advice

Would you consider it now yourself?

I'm really wondering how the sound characteristics would change after upgrading from Arcam to Octave RE 320. I'm sure it would be better because it has more power and so on, but I'm not sure if it will provide this tube magic that I count on a little. A lot of people say Octave works like a solid state. As long as it refers to dynamics and bass - great, but I still hope for some tube magic in it.

I think the Octave has plenty of tube magic, but the only question is if it has enough warmth as it tends to sound more neutral.  The Octave won’t sound thin or sterile by any means, but If you’re looking for an amp to add warmth it may not be your best option.  But that’s a personal taste thing.  

Yeah, thanks. I read so many positive comments about Octave that it's really hard to believe I woudn't like it. As there is a real issue with finding Lampizator with preamp, I started toying with the idea of buying Lampizator DAC, Octave RE 320 and.. HP500/700 for pre. Am I crazy? :-) 

Octave always gets stellar reviews with the caveat that, especially for tube amps, they have a relatively neutral sound.  If that’s what you’re looking for Octave is obviously a strong choice, but at those prices there are probably other options as well so might wanna look into what else is out there in that range.  That said, I’m sure that Octave gear with the Pulsars would sound stunning as it should at those prices. 

I’ve heard several octave amps and have the octave Jubilee preamp.
I think they provide warmth without being soft and are particularly better at controlling the low end than some tube amps. This is so subjective that only one set of ears really matter though