Tube Amp vs Solid State Amp HELP


So I ordered a pair of Dali Zensor 1's. As of now I am using my friend's Jolida FX10 tube amp, which he has offered to sell to me. Should I purchase his tube amp or get a Cambridge Azur 351A? Only problem with the Jolida is that it's not very powerful; however, right now it's paired with his Klipsch speakers and it's plenty loud for my room/house. I don't have any reason to push it too much. Input would be much appreciated.

Thanks 
hfarrior3

Showing 12 responses by hfarrior3

To clarify, my current set up is a Cambridge 551p phono preamp, Pro Ject debut 3, and the Dali Zensor 1's. Any suggestions for a good amp with that set up would be helpful. It will also help give an idea of my budget range. I'm going to try my friends tube amp to see if it sounds okay. If not I have to explore other options. Thanks for any input.
Also, I would like a tube amp if there is a decent one that's affordable. (I know affordable is a relative term)
Right now I'm using my friends Kilpsch RB-61 ii speakers with the Jolida FX-10. Those speakers are sensitive enough to accommodate the Jolida. Now I'm not sure if I should just offer to buy the Jolida and the Kilpsch and send back the Dali's. The Kilpsh are a little too big size wise for what I want however. I liked the fact that the Dali's were more compact. 
I haven't had a chance to listen with the Dali's yet. My hope is that the Jolida drives the Dali's enough for my liking. If not I'm then faced with a decision. Either buy the Klipsch's from my friend in order to accommodate the Jolida (which I'd rather not do since the Klipsch are larger in size than the Dali's) or keep the Dali's and look for another amp. I really do have my mind set on a tube amp though. It's just with my room, set up, AND MY WIFE'S OPINION; that the Dali's would be a better fit.
So far my set up is as follows:

Pro-Ject Debut III (about to be upgraded with a Ortofon Blue cartridge)
Cambridge Azur 551P MM Phono Preamp
Jolida FX-10 integrated tube amp
Dali Zensor 1's

I set up my Dali's with the Jolida last night and was pretty pleased with the results. The Jolida is powerful enough to where I'm satisfied with the volume level. However, when I power on the amp I can hear a very slight drone (I'm guessing this might be some type of interference with the cables/wires). Also when I push the volume to the highest level I can hear a slight hissing sound when a record is not playing. I'm sure the hissing is still in the background while my record is playing, although my ear is not as refined as others so it really doesn't bother me. I'm not sure if there is anything I can do about the hissing. I'm guessing it is a result of the speakers not being efficient enough to handle the Jolida.

I'm going to play around with it some this weekend to see if I can reduce any of the background noise. Again, it really doesn't bother me as it might some. My question now is if the actual music coming from the speakers is sonically (if that's even a word) better with the tube amp, or with a ss amp (regardless of the background stuff going on that I really don't notice when the record is playing. I might have to order a ss amp just to compare and decide.
Ok, now I'm worried about the FX-10 damaging my speakers. I was reading the Dali manual and it was discussing how a small amp will have more high frequency information and will put a strain on the tweeter. Does this strain only occur if you push the volume too high, or does it also occur at a moderate listening level. I really wanted this amp to work but I'm thinking I need to explore other options.
Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I'm going to order a  NAD 316BEE, compare the two, and make a decision .