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Affordable SS amp that has tube characteristics

I have been listening to tubes for a few years now but I do run 2 systems and I want one to be a higher powered SS system. I have a bad habit of turning the stereo on and leaveing it on all day and sometimes leaveing the house and not commeing home for hours and leaving the system on.
I listen to a wide array of music from soft female vocals to hard chargeing Rock and Roll. I do more of the mellow stuff though maybe 80% of the time.
My room is not that big,17X19 and my speakers are a little large for the room,Aerial 10T's. They are not going anywhere I love the way they sound and they are one of the few speakers that I have heard that sound just as good at very low volume as they do at higher volumes.
My current set up is an ARC VT 100 MKIII,ARC LS15 ARC CD3 and I use a Sonos for computer audio and PS Audio DLIII.
I also Have an ARC LS25MKII but I think the LS15 sounds better in this set up.
I have been wanting to use a SS amp here just because the time this system is on and in the summer the heat build up is so bad.
I hear class A mosfets is the way to go to get the tube sound but trying to find something affordable that is large enough to drive the Aerials is where the challenge lies. Yes I would love to have a large Pass Labs amp but they are not in the budget and neither is a Krell amp. I have been thinkng about a Belles amp but most are class AB and then I have to wonder if the Belles Ref 150 would be big enough to drive the Aerials or if I would need sometrhing like the ref 350.
Any have any suggestions on an amp that might fit the bill.
coman61
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,589 posts
 
Rbrowne,

Now you've got my curiosity piqued somewhat as I have Tonian TL-D1s as well.

I love the sound I get from my Burson integrated but am always on the lookout for something purer, more revealing, but still maintain the dynamics, extension and tonal qualities I get from my Burson.

Do you find the Gaincard to be on the polite side of the equation (like a tripath) or is the opamp dynamic and full bodied, like a good tube amp?

All the best,
Nonoise
csontos
1,311 posts
 
Mosfets are indeed the way to go in order to achieve that sound stage depth characteristic of tubes. Along with that you get serious speed and extension. My experience is with Perreaux and Acoustat. Both very realistic sounding amps.
rbrowne
175 posts
 
Nonoise,

I find the Gaincard to be relatively neutral in sonic character and very revealing of differences in recordings, upstream gear and wire with the TL-D1's. It all depends on what you feed it. With my Audio Note AN-Vx silver interconnects from my DAC it tends to be more analytical, but with simple DIY copper interconnects it is bolder and more robust sounding. Coherence, rhythmic flow and dynamics are very good.

After using an Audio Note tube amp for 16 years I'd say the Gaincard falls just a bit short in the areas of dimensionality and that inner glow that tubes do so well.

There have been many gainclone designs, mostly DIY, but I have yet to hear of one sounding the same as the original Gaincard, which was the goal of the 25i designer. If the Clones Audio 25i can emulate the character and the positive qualities of the Gaincard it would be a true bargain. I'd love to try one out.
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,589 posts
 
Rbrowne,

Thanks for the informative response. Looks like I'll be waiting to "hear" what Srajan says about the 25i. If it's anything like the Gaincard, it'll take a while to get one as the line will be long.

All the best,
Nonoise
sarcher30
596 posts
 
I used a Parasound Halo A21 on a set of Aerial model 9's in the past with nice results. A pair of Parasound Halo JC-1's would be even nicer but will put off more heat which you are trying to avoid. The A21 is under your budget new. The JC-1's are about $3500 used. Both mosfet amps.
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