sorry to say the only solid state i heard that sounds like a tube amp is the halcro.
i think it was a bit overpriced and was easily bested by a bat tube amp @ 1/3 the price imo.
there are some very good solid state amps that are musical, neutral and match very well with a tube preamp ( that is the best way to get "tube sound" without the tube hassles and expense, i would estimate the tube sound @ 75%-80%)imo.
in regards to solid state amps:
pse studio V mono's, muse monos, or muse 160 mkII stero amp. both are very, very neutral and will pretty much handle any load with grace, muscle and musicality...
now here is crux of the situation... if.....
if your preamp is up to the task.
a amp will take signal from the pre and amplify it. if you have a great pre the amp will pick up on and move the signal along.the pre is the second most important component in chain imo.
you might want to consider moving (selling your pre) and looking for a tube/hybrid pre and solid state amps.
a good combo is a audio research ls-2bmkii with remote or pse hl-1 ( remote & theatre bypass- both are hybrids and will require minimal tube investment, the bat vk3i or vk5i are great but require more tube - the vk5i is a awesome unit - goes for $1600 with remote) with the above mentioned amps. i think that combo will yield much better results at $1600 - $1900 than a $2000 amp.
average used prices for the above are:
muse 150/160 monos - $700 - $800
pse studio v mono's - $600 - $700
muse 160 mk II stereo- $700
preamp prices
pse hl-1 ($1000)
ARC ls2bmkII w/ remote ($1000)
BAT vk3i $900 to $1000 with remote
BAT vk5i $1500 - $1600 with remote
the units suggested originally retailed ( beside the bat 5vki) went for $2500 to $3000 when they were introduced and very well regarded.
the pse gear is not as well know but well regarded by speaker designers like richard vandersteen. if you can find a pse hl-1 i would suggest picking it up. i saw only 2 of them come on the market last year.. i bought one of them.
the drawback is these units dont come up that often and when they do, they command top dollar.
if you wish to stay with your pre, i would suggest the classe cam monos, they are very nice and some of the best amps i have heard regardless of price ( $2k used for the 100wpc mono blocks) these are the only solid state amps i have found to exceed the above mentioned.
hope that helps,
mike
