Will tubes rock?


I have to get a new amp, my acurus A150 was destroyed in a recent move (don't ask). What survived of the move were my spicas, acurus ACD-11 and parasound pre.
I keep seeing great deals on tube amps, and wondered if as a class I should be auditioning these during my search. I've heard some Cary and VTL products in systems that sounded wonderful but were way out of my league. 70% of my collection is rock with less than stellar recording...the rest is jazz, folk, and orchestral. Any thoughts?
pinetop14a89e

Showing 2 responses by garfish

Hi Pinetop; I feel like I've got to "tippy toe" here 'cuz for the most part I don't feel that a good tube amp can rock like a good SS amp can. I say this because I recently compared, head to head, a Sonic Frontiers Line 2 (110 wpc), and my McCormack DNA-2DX (300 wpc). BTW each of these amps lists for $5K. And while the SF tube amp had much going for it, it simply lacked the rhythmic drive and control of the bass like the McCormack has for R&R music. The bass of the tube amp was plenty deep, but lacked quickness and control, in fact it was no contest. I listened to the SF Line 2 for over three weeks, and enjoyed it very much on music that did not depend on quick, articulate bass. I'd recommend a good SS amp such as McCormack's DNA.5 or DNA-1. I should note that I use Sonic Frontiers Line 2 pre-amp (tubed), and like the combination very much. Happy Hunting. Craig.
.......major Typo above, Line 2 should be POWER 2, except for the last sentence which is correct. Sorry.