Tube amp with SS like bass

My first question to others is... how can we know what will work without knowing his speakers and room size? My speakers can put out truly wall-shaking bass with 25-30 watts. There are plenty of amps at $2k which can do that.

OTOH... if Gooddomino still has Tyler F2s as per a previous thread, then with 89db sensitivity and a bottom end which only goes down to 44Hz, I might suggest that he'll get better bass out of SS. However, he would get truly great bass only with another pair of speakers.

Gooddomino, if you want both tubes and the Tyler F2s (if you still have them) and your room is not too big, I can suggest that you go for the highest power tube amps you can find in your price range; you might try older VTLs, Manleys, or Audio Research (probably only the VT100 for that price).

In any case, I'd be interested in hearing how you fare...

Tvad, you are right on the wall-shaking part - my bad analogy. For me, bass is so important, I would not wish to listen to a speaker/amp combo that could shake the walls if it could not do so with utter control and precision. However, the ability to control the bass is also a matter of sound pressure level, which begs the question of environment. With a smallish room, a nearfield listening position, and efficient speakers (with a relatively high and stable input imepedance across the frequency spectrum, including the bass), any number of tube amps can drive the speakers to satisfying levels and deliver beautiful taut bass. With small-ish bookshelf-like speakers (on floorstanding bases) which only go down to the mid-40Hz region, in an 1800sqft room with 22ft ceilings, I would venture to say the same amp might not deliver the goods.

Gooddomino, I would wait until you have gotten your new speakers to look for amps. Depending on what you go for (PD-series, Freedom series, or something like the Linbrook), your possible amp selection would change considerably. The PD-15s would have pretty darn good bass with some 845-based amps; the F-5 would need a lot more power to drive that room (partially depending on how far away you sit).

If dying to get big tube power (with great bass control) for a low price, the VTL 300s mentioned might do the trick.

Best of luck!