Moving from solid state to tubes
Hello r/stereoadvice!
Current set up:
Speakers: ADS L710
Headphones: sennheiser HD6xx
Amp: Kenwood KA-7300
Turntable: Project 2xperience SB (ortofon 2M silver)
Digital: Schiit Modi DAC
I have been flipping between modern and vintage systems most of my adult life, with my current system satisfying a lot of my listening needs (smooth, warm, emotional).
Recently the Kenwood has been showing its age (channels sound imbalanced, the noise floor is becoming louder and more distracting, and the sound quality just feels more compressed).
I believe it is time for a full recap but this repair will run me about CAD$900, won't guarantee results and besides, the transformers are known to fail on these amps without adequate replacements available.
All this to say I felt like it was time to haul my speakers to the shop and start auditioning new equipment. I first hooked them up to a NAD C3050, a beautiful amp that seemed to have it all (phono, digital inputs, high power, vintage aesthetic). Unfortunately this amp sounded extremely harsh with my speakers, almost sibilant on the high end. I couldn't listen to it for more than 10 minutes.
I cycled through a few other solid state options at various price points and wasn't thoroughly impressed.
On my way out I noticed they had a Rogue Audio chronus magnum 3 set up and asked if I could give the tubes a try. It was a bit out of my price range but nothing I couldn't save up for a little longer. And damn if it wasn't perfect to my ears, and a great compliment to the L710s and drove my sennheiser hd650 flawlessly.
I am asking for advice from those that have experience in the tube world. I used to own a bifrost/valhalla 2 combo which was an incredible experience with my headphones. I know tubes are higher maintenance and more costly in the long run with less features than modern solid state, but the sound spoke for itself in my opinion. So maybe some general advice for someone new to tubes would be helpful.
Secondly the Rogue amp sounded amazing, and is a reputable company but compared to a Muzishare X7 (which seems to be a well regarded piece of chifi, in terms of features and build quality) is more than twice the price (CAD$4700 vs CAD$2000) has less features and honestly looks almost homemade compared to the sleek vintage looking X7
Can anyone convince me that it's sonically worth my while to save up for another 6 months for the Rogue vs the X7 which has all the features I need, probably enough power for my speakers and the ability to try it in my listening room and return to Amazon vs special ordering from the manufacturer?
Some listening impressions from anyone who owns these would be much appreciated too!
I mainly listen to records (ambient/IDM, folk, psych rock, shoegaze, indie rock, dream pop etc...) on my turntable and 50/50 listening between headphones and speakers if that helps.
Budget: CAD$2000 to $5000 max