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Thoughts on Tube vs SS amplification for Sony SS AR1s

Hi all~
Was hoping someone with more knowledge than me may be able to help clear up some confusion I’ve been having.
I recently was able to acquire my ‘unicorn’ speakers, the SS AR1s.  4 ohms, 88 dB, 28hz-60khz.
i have an integrated tube amp, the  Luxman LX-380, which on paper doesnt seem to deliver a lot of power for these speakers (14 w into 4 ohms), but i have been really surprised by how full/robust everything sounds with the Luxman in place. I had been advised that a more powerful SS amp (‘at least 200 w per channel!’)  would be needed to get the most out of the SS AR1s (and i have had a lot of SS amps in the past), but To be honest I’m pretty impressed with how it sounds already - So,  i was just hoping someone with more experience here could weigh in? Is it necessarily true that tubes just aren’t a good match for a speaker of this sensitivity? Would a more powerful amp like the luxman mQ-88uc (25 w into 4 ohms) be worth looking into? Would a powerful SS amp really make these speaker sing (and i just dont know what I’m missing)? I want to take advantage of the low-end of these new speakers (which is the main difference from my previous pair), so looking for some guidance re tube amps and exerting control over speakers like these.

thanks much!
sfmorris

Showing 2 responses by audition__audio

audition__audio
1,634 posts
 
Almost without fail, tube amps will have greater low level detail, better linearity and a more organic presentation. Almost without fail, tube amps will react much more negatively than S.S. to low impedance speakers or impedance dips. 

One type of power is not better than the other and to say such a thing is foolish. Knowing Sony and also looking at the specs of your speakers, I would say that are grossly underpowering your speakers and would be best served by a more powerful S.S. amp.

This could be a situation in which you wont know what you are missing until you hear it for yourself. I think the speaker determines the amp in most cases.
audition__audio
1,634 posts
 
If you could find a used Adcom 535 you see how your speakers react and then sell this amp for nearly what you paid. This is the only amp that Adcom made that I liked. In fact this amp powers my garage system. I also owned the 555 and the 565s but could never warm to the sound.
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