I can't comment on the Rogue M-180 specifically but I have heard their "entry level" Sphinx integrated amp driving the Triton Sevens and it sounded really good. Really, really good, in fact. I imagine the M-180 is a huge step from there. And 180 watts is far more than anyone could need, so there would certainly be no issue with power. Heck, the Pass Labs XA60.5 are more powerful than needed at any rational playback level. But you can roll tubes with the Rogue and try both the 4 and 8 ohm taps to see which is best for your taste. If you ever want to try vintage tubes in it, give Andy a call at www.vintagetubeservices.com. While there are likely a few great tube sellers out there I can only refer to Andy regarding vintage tubes, as he's the only one with whom I have enough experience to recommend.

I cannot comment on the quality of the Integra's pass-through so I don't really know if everything your Toshiba and Oppo players are capable of will get to those beautiful amps. Does the BDP-95 or Toshiba have volume control capability for its outputs? If so, try either one straight into your new amps, bypassing the pre/pro just to see for yourself if there's any loss of detail or information.

It sounds like Heatmiser44 has saved his pennies and may step up to the big leagues. But for those on a tighter budget, there are some very good products available. I'd suggest listening to some of the Parasound Halo series, Channel Islands Audio, Rogue (yes, they make affordable models) and others in addition to the Emotiva amps.

Sounds like a fun time for you, Heatmiser44. Best of luck with your amp search!

Dave

Thanks for all of your input, it didnt occur to me to run the oppo straight to the Rogue amps. I am new to the tube amp game. The oppo does have volume control, and speaker adjustments, size, distance, level etc. I will have to give that a try when I get those bad boys. And you are saying that I could run the Triton 1s on either the 4 or 8 ohm tap? I thought that would damage the speaker?
Cheers

Heatmiser44,

When you try connecting your source directly to the power amps, make sure all enhancements and tweaks for HT use are bypassed. The analog output probably does this anyway, but do check first to you're listening as purely as possible.

As far as the tap, neither will harm the speaker but I expect each to sound slightly different. One will be a bit more accurate and faithful and the other, not quite as much. This occurs because tube amps typically have greater output impedance than solid state amps do and they can exhibit slight frequency response variations depending on the load presented to them. So, ideally, you connect the speakers to the tap most closely representing their nominal impedance if you want the most accurate response. But maybe the most accurate doesn't sound best to you so... then you have to decide which you actually like better.

Dave

Hey Heatmiser44,
I too have the Oppo 95 and yes you can use the volume control in it and all that other stuff too, speaker measurements and bass management (to an extent), and it is an awesome sounding unit to me!!!! I am almost positive you can run your Triton Ones with either the 4 or 8 ohm tap, and you will not harm anything, at least at reasonable listening levels. Though I would use the 8 ohm myself unless the 4 ohm sounded noticeably better, which I doubt it will.
BUT.......
Most important IF you choose to bypass a preamp and go straight from the Oppo outputs to the amps, is to be sure you power up the Oppo first, and make sure to turn the volume down some BEFORE turning on your amps!
The Oppo volume is not obvious, not a knob, so it is quite possible to turn it on and have it at 100% when you power up your amps. You could get a nasty surprise playing through your wonderful speakers at FULL VOLUME!!!!
You can do it and many people do it, but be careful is all I am saying.
It should sound great. I think Bro Anthem here has done that, or others, so they may chime in here with more info than I can give.
Have fun, looks like you are in the middle of a great adventure!
God Bless,
Wayne

Hi guy's, I am listening to T1's with XPA-2s. I started with a single XPA-2 and it sounds IMHO fantastic. Plenty of spatial differentiation, strong highs and lows. Quiet background and peaks are very pronounced. Percussion is very crisp and powerful. EMO was having such a good sale in December I picked up a 2nd XPA-2 and am running them in bridge mode. There was a slight improvement in sound stage and the low end seems to have more punch with the 2 amps. They run cool, I have run them at high volume for 30 40 minutes at a time and they just get a little warm. I also have an EMO XPA-1L for my center channel, in class A/B it gets warmer than the XPA-2 and in class A it runs HOT idle.

In a nutshell the T1's are fantastic with EMO XPA-2's. Looks like a pair of XPA-1's are about to be available:)

Thanks again for all of your input. My only issue now is that my triton 1s are in my main room where I watch tv, movies and listen to music. Now I have to come up with a way to keep the tritons connected to my 5 channel amp for tv, and then have a sort of quick process to connect them to the Rogues for music and movie playback...Champagne problems right?!