I got into this hobby less than a year ago and initially told myself I would build a good cheap analog system and that's it. I went with SongTowers, Jolida 202A, Jolida JD9A, and Music Hall MMF5.1. Did the tube upgrades, it sounded great, but then I almost instantly wanted more.
Fast forward 6 months and I've been through several other revisions and now my current rig consists of the following:
Cary SLI-80 with Shuguang Treasure and NOS Amperex/RCA tubes
K&K Audio Maxxed-Out Standard MM phono pre
VPI Classic with a SoundSmith Zephyr cart
Various ZU Audio cables and Shunyata Venom 3 power cords
Full GIK acoustics room treatment (arriving in a couple weeks)
I think it all sounds pretty darn good, but I still want more! The one thing I seem to be lacking is good bass and probably some dynamics, which would tell me the amp is my next upgrade? I mostly listen to rock based music at moderate levels.
I've been researching the following amps:
McCormack DNA-250 (read somewhere this sounds "warm" for a SS amp)
Butler TDB 2250 (hybrid, great reviews, probably has a "tube" sound)
Wyred 4 Sound ST-500 (cheapest, but looks hideous to me)
Van Alstine Fet Valve 400 (most expensive but seems proven to be great with Salks)
I like good mid range, something smooth and "warm", and as mentioned some better (not huge) bass. I will have an all tube pre-amp with whatever amp I get. I'm not trying to get my turntable to sound like a CD player. If you used any of these guys with Salks I would be interested in hearing your opinions.