New Amplifier for Serria 2EXs

I am in the process of updating the amp for my Serria 2EXs. I was running them with a Cambridge Audio CXA81 but I moved it to another room. I am wondering what about Hybrid amps (like Rouge Audio/Vincent Audio) or Schiit Freya + preamp with a separate amp (Vidar/Aegir/others?). (I am currently playing with a cheap hybrid amp from Aiyima and like it but it has limitations).

I really liked the combination of the Cambridge and 2EXs for certain music, especially acoustic, well-recorded, high res stuff (I usually stream from Amazon High res) but I sometimes found less ideal recordings and some rock/pop tracks a little fatiguing in the high end from time to time. It felt very detailed and resolving I might be looking for something airier on top with warm mids and tight controlled bass (not sure).

Any advice on Hybrid setups with hybrid tube amps. I'm not sure what to expect from tubes. Any experience with specific amp combinations with the 2EX would be greatly appreciated!

I run a Rogue ST100 (not hybrid, but tube) amp with my Towers. Previously I was using the Rogue Atlas Magnum II (the pure amp, not the integrated). Rogue make excellent equipment and are also well reviewed. Customer service is first rate (like Ascend).

That said, I've not heard their hybrid model but would assume it is up to similar standards. Since the tubes they use are 12AU7, they aren't power tubes and won't get overly hot. Stock tubes in both my amps were very good (JJ's) and pretty neutral. One of the good things with tubes is you can "roll" them to change the sound. NOS can be expensive, especially for big names like Mullard, Brimar, Amperex. That said, plenty of new tubes, including reissues, are readily available for reasonable cost (I get mine from https://vacuumtubevalues.com/preamp-tubes/). As I recall, most of my small tubes are Genelax Gold Lions. l

I've run my EX's on 3 different amps:
1. ADCOM GFA-5500//200 watts @8ohms//350watts @4ohms. This was also modded by a company out of St. Louis for enhanced sonic performance. It sounded great with smooth highs, great bass and detailed mids. The amp started to produce a whooshing sound in one channel so I was able to sell it and replace it with....
2. Audio by Van Alstine DVA SET 120 amp. 60 watts @8ohms//120w @4ohms. I was skeptical at the lower power rating, but it had plenty of power and it sounded fantastic, better than the ADCOM. I was fortunate enough to be able to replace it with......
3. A pair of Van Alstine DVA M225 Mono amps. These are next level. 225W @8ohms//around 350W@4ohms. These have truly transformed the sound. More flesh on the bones, soundstaging/imaging, depth of soundstage(front to back). These are end game for me. They are being compared to megabuck amps like PASS. Did I mention dynamics? Off the chart! Not inexpensive and definitely entering high end territory, but compared to what some of those other high end nameplates charge it is a bargain.

FWIW, in the Ascend Acoustic demo room, Dave has two amps:

an ATI 180X. The X is the number of channels. In the demo room it is an 1804. 4 channels as this is the amp that is setup to do A/B comparisons using the Van Alstine ABX Switch Comparator.

The main amp in that room is an ADA (Audio Design Associates) PTM-6150.

The preamp/pre-pro is a Rotel. I don't recall the model number, but it has been in there for years as has the ADA.

Now I want Van Alstine monoblocks with the Schiit Freya+ which gives me Tubes or not depending on the mode I use the preamp in. However, my entire budget is about $3K +/-.

Yeah, those m225's look real nice.

Just upgraded from Emotiva UPA-1s to a Buckeye 2-channel Purifi ET400A. Although the improvement in sound quality was not as significant as the one I experienced after upgrading from Sierra-1s to 2EXv2, everything sounds smoother and the sound stage seems deeper. It is definitely a better match for the 2EXv2 in that I am able to listen louder and for longer periods of time. I am very pleased.

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Originally Posted by novaduckfan1

Just upgraded from Emotiva UPA-1s to a Buckeye 2-channel Purifi ET400A. Although the improvement in sound quality was not as significant as the one I experienced after upgrading from Sierra-1s to 2EXv2, everything sounds smoother and the sound stage seems deeper. It is definitely a better match for the 2EXv2 in that I am able to listen louder and for longer periods of time. I am very pleased.

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I'm also using an amp with the ET400A with my LX's. Very happy with it.

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Originally Posted by curtis

I'm also using an amp with the ET400A with my LX's. Very happy with it.

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Nice! What did you have previously, and what improvements did you notice (if any) with the Purifi?

As I recall, Curtis had an ATI A/B amp but I don’t recall which model

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Originally Posted by novaduckfan1

Nice! What did you have previously, and what improvements did you notice (if any) with the Purifi?

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Originally Posted by racrawford65

As I recall, Curtis had an ATI A/B amp but I don’t recall which model

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Yup...a 20+ year old ATI 1505...still have it, and I won't get rid of it.

To me the Purifi seems cleaner, but a true A/B test is needed to really compare.

Just a quick note......

A friend is currently demoing an Orchard Audio StarKrimson Ultra (Dual-mono I believe). He's on the demo tour so he only has it for about a week. He wants to bring it over to play in my system. Should be interesting. He loves my M225 mono blocks, says they sound class A. Last thing I need to do is change amps!

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Originally Posted by curtis

Yup...a 20+ year old ATI 1505...still have it, and I won't get rid of it.

To me the Purifi seems cleaner, but a true A/B test is needed to really compare.

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Good point. Other benefits are significantly smaller form factor, greater energy efficiency (less waste as heat), and three gain options if I decide to change any "upstream" gear with different output voltage (e.g., DAC or preamp) or when I eventually get the ELX with RAAL (more sensitive speakers).