[rotarius]

RonN5, there really is no conundrum.  If you want tube goodness, you need to get a tube amp.  The only people who talk about tube-like SS are the ones who don't have tube amps! You are not going to get that midrange magic of a good 300B or EL34 amp any other way.  Then again, you give up the bass slam of SS with those.  I have and enjoy SS and tube equipment. Get both.

[Tyson]

Or buy a speaker with a powered bass section and just run a tube amp on the mid/highs, get the best of both worlds.

[dpatters]

It’s like everything else in hifi. It’s not about ss vs tube, or ESS Sabre DAC vs R2R Ladder DAC, or class A vs class D. Its how the designer implements the aforementioned topologies in their design that determines the final result.

Don P

[artur9]

... Lyndorf digital amplifier ...

Which Lyngdorf?  There are a few different models.

[sumoking]

RonN5, there really is no conundrum.  If you want tube goodness, you need to get a tube amp.  The only people who talk about tube-like SS are the ones who don't have tube amps! You are not going to get that midrange magic of a good 300B or EL34 amp any other way.  Then again, you give up the bass slam of SS with those.  I have and enjoy SS and tube equipment. Get both.

Interesting, I had multiple tube amps (BAT, Golden Tube Audio, Jolida) with the very last being a 2A3 SET tube amp that I worked with a skilled designer and we hand picked all the power supplies, tubes, parts and pieces. It had minimalist point to point wiring, good connectors, the whole bit.  I fell in love with it.  It had it all, dynamic bass, beautiful tone, deep and wide soundstage. I was in love. 

Then I met a quality guy on this forum, who convinced me to give Tommy a call and check out the the Cherry Marachino's mono blocks.  He told me he sold his SET Tube amps for a set or Marachinos mono blocks and never looked back.  SO I gave them a try (one has to have an open mind to really makes advances in this fun game) and within the first notes of a very familiar female singers voice, I whispered to myself, this is so much closer to the real thing. Her voice, guitar and cello strings rang so clearly on my Spatial Audio speakers that it was clear I was at a whole different level. Game over.   

Do I miss anything about my tubes amps? Hell yes.  I miss the magical glow of the tubes and the atmosphere they created.  I might even miss the 20 minutes it took for them to warm up and play their best. It was a fun ritual.

Tommy can you stick these in an case with tubes and make them glow, so they look cool?  Then I would have it all!
Cheers.

[opnly bafld]

(one has to have an open mind to really makes advances in this fun game)

..............and realize anecdotal evidence goes both ways. 

"I got a tube amp for the first time and was blown away by how much more real it sounds."   

[seikosha]

Interesting, I had multiple tube amps (BAT, Golden Tube Audio, Jolida) with the very last being a 2A3 SET tube amp that I worked with a skilled designer and we hand picked all the power supplies, tubes, parts and pieces. It had minimalist point to point wiring, good connectors, the whole bit.  I fell in love with it.  It had it all, dynamic bass, beautiful tone, deep and wide soundstage. I was in love. 

Then I met a quality guy on this forum, who convinced me to give Tommy a call and check out the the Cherry Marachino's mono blocks.  He told me he sold his SET Tube amps for a set or Marachinos mono blocks and never looked back.  SO I gave them a try (one has to have an open mind to really makes advances in this fun game) and within the first notes of a very familiar female singers voice, I whispered to myself, this is so much closer to the real thing. Her voice, guitar and cello strings rang so clearly on my Spatial Audio speakers that it was clear I was at a whole different level. Game over.   

Do I miss anything about my tubes amps? Hell yes.  I miss the magical glow of the tubes and the atmosphere they created.  I might even miss the 20 minutes it took for them to warm up and play their best. It was a fun ritual. (maybe a little boring that I flip on the Cherries and instantly they blow me away.

Tommy can you stick these in an case with tubes and make them glow, so they look cool?  Then I would have it all!
Cheers.

Were you driving your Spatial X3’s with a 2a3 tube amp?

[sumoking]

Were you driving your Spatial X3’s with a 2a3 tube amp?

I had M3 STurbo's... then went to the X-3's and still use the marachinos on the AMT and 12" midrange.
Since amps are as good/better than tubes (certainly for the money) they are a glorious match. Nothing wrong with power.
Cheers.

[sumoking]

..............and realize anecdotal evidence goes both ways. 

"I got a tube amp for the first time and was blown away by how much more real it sounds."   

Curious, did the tubes replace the marachino's?

Most importantly, glad you are enjoying them. That's what it's all about.
Cheers.

[opnly bafld]

Curious, did the tubes replace the marachino's?

Most importantly, glad you are enjoying them. That's what it's all about.
Cheers.

Sorry I forgot these are the only good amplifiers.   

It is a comment I see on various forums (reason for quotation marks), not mine.

[Tyson]

Another option is to own multiple amps and then there's no longer a conundrum, you just listen to whichever you want, whenever you want.

[sumoking]

Another option is to own multiple amps and then there's no longer a conundrum, you just listen to whichever you want, whenever you want.

Yes, and you just stole the Kismet's. Great buy, bet they will sound great!

[Big Red Machine]

I now have a Megaschino but before that the 2-Cherry.  I believe that either would meet your needs with the 2 Cherry closer to your budget.

Any discernible differences in sound? They are different levels of build and price for sure.

Not sure if the new Mega LC would have the same level of sound. And no idea the cost of such a unit.

[seikosha]

I had M3 STurbo's... then went to the X-3's and still use the marachinos on the AMT and 12" midrange.
Since amps are as good/better than tubes (certainly for the money) they are a glorious match. Nothing wrong with power.
Cheers.

It’s no wonder that the DAC amps sound better than the 2a3’s.  Those tube amps are far from the best match for those speakers.