Higher-End Class A/B vs. Class A Integrateds

Just to be clear, I think class wars for amps are silly.  The OP and other readers should buy what they like the sound of without much concern for the amplifier "class" except perhaps for heat and weight issues which buyers should also consider as part of the total cost of ownership.

The idea that a class is "best" isn't what my ears tell me.  There are some megabuck class-A amplifiers I can't stand, and some Class D amps I'd buy over them every time.

Class D, like Class A, suffers from legendary social memory about the technical differences which is often wrong or outdated. 

Far better, IMHO, to compare Luxman's Class A integrated to the Luxman A/B units. Listen for yourself with your speakers to decide.  The specs are (except for power consumption) kind of irrelevant.

Has anyone here heard the SoulNote integrateds, A2, A3?  They sounded nice at CAF.

I have the Luxman 595 Class A amp. I also have Yamaha AS-3200 Class A/B with the Yamaha rn-2000a as pre amp. 

The sound traits (to me):

1) Luxman 595 - Has a powerful meaty sound. Sounds a bit stuffy. Not very holographic. Sounds excellent for Jazz and also colombian music, though. 

2) Yamaha set up - sounds open, not stuffy. Good at being holographic.  I like the sound stage more than the Luxman. Sometimes can be a little to strong in the highs. It's bass is diff. from the Luxman. More tight/refined but less full compared to the luxman. The luxman bass can make the Bookshelves sound like towers. But I still like the Yamaha's bass a lot. 

Overall, I listen to the Yamaha setup 90% of the time. I use the Luxman for just jazz and Colombian music for the remaining 10%. 

I feel like the heat generated on idle is close to the same between the Luxman and the Yamaha as-3200. With the Luxman being maybe a tad bit hotter but not much. 

As others have said, try the different topologies and settle on what suits you. It’s really the only path to satisfaction. I happen to consistently prefer class A, but I would never say it’s categorically better. 

I just put my Black Ice Audio 3502P tube amp in with EL34 tubes.  After listening with the McCormack DNA 0.5 solid state amp all summer, it sounded warmer but sluggish(?) especially with rock music.  Small Jazz ensembles, acoustic music and vocals sound fine.  

I'm going to try the Gold Lion KT88's in to see if they make much of a difference.  

I'm trying to determine if I need a higher powered integrated than most Class A amps provide.