Hilde45,
Hello. I've been pondering responding for a couple days now (been kinda busy), and decided I might as well offer a couple ideas.
'abd1' suggested looking into trying a tube preamp with a SS amp. This is the route I chose when I first began my tube experience. I have tried three tube preamps to date - one is a Don Sachs Model 2 (6SN7). I love this preamp. There's a long thread with input from multiple owners on AC (myself included) that discusses this preamp. Don is a one-man operation, so there tends to be an approximate 2(?) month wait for one's new baby's delivery. The first tube pre I tried was a used AVA pre. I think it was a T8. It introduced me to the tube sound, but after less than a year, I had sold it and moved
way up the ladder the the Model 2. The third tube pre is a model that probably doesn't exist outside of Asia. It is manufactured by Kwan Chiu Radio Mfg - a company based in Taiwan. [http://www.kcr.com.tw/archive/image/edcontent2/editor/A3055.png] China and Taiwan account for most of their sales. This pre is 6299-based. It definitely has a tube sound, but it hasn't matched well with that particular audio system as it imparts a bright sound to my music that I do not love. I'll likely sell it later this year.
Anyway, a couple advantages to this tube pre/SS amp strategy is <nominally> SS amps are less expensive than tube amps (of course, there are exceptions), and you do get some of that tube magic in your music. I so loved that tube magic that I went ahead and bought a Don Sachs Kootenay 120 KT88 amp. The combination of the 6SN7 pre and the KT88 is
wonderful IMVBO (
in my very biased opinion). The KT88 can pump out 65w/ch or about 35w/ch in Triode mode. My current speakers are 96dB efficient, so I run the amp in Triode mode and dial back both channels of gain to '11'. It's heavenly.
I have powered several different speakers from 86dB (not in Triode mode) to 98dB, and the KT88 amp had no issue driving them in a larger room than your system will be in.
There are lots and lots of options out there. Take your time, and accept that your first couple of choices may not live up to your expectations. I agree that it is better to first decide on which speakers you want followed by getting an amp. That said, I did not purchase my main speakers until after I had already purchased my amp and preamp because I couldn't afford my speakers until fairly recently.
My amp and preamp are pretty good sized and the amp weighs 56 pounds. Do consider where you would place such monsters if this is for a desktop system. An integrated (with or without a DAC included) might be a more fitting choice.
Oh. Lastly, I own a pair of two-ways that are ~83db, and I once tried to drive them with a class D 100w integrated amp. Meh. It wasn't a good pairing. Yes, I got music to come out of the speakers, but they did not 'sing' if you know what I mean. It wasn't until I drove them with a 400w amp that the speakers showed me what they were capable of - again, in a bigger room than you seem likely to use your WOW1 speakers.
I hope this is helpful, and enjoy the journey. I've had a blast since I got back into the
addiction...er...
hobby in 2014.
Michael