Hi, BlueStater:
The M50 M60 question is cool, but what you have going with your fathers' tube set is actually more fasinating. I grew up with tubes in the 50s and 60s and to this day have a warm spot for them. (6.3V heaters made all the tubes hot, of course) But yes, you're correct, they do have a warm, even comfortable sound to them. I've looked at a few tube amps in the last few years, but just haven't taken the plunge yet. However, you have one with a history that you can relate to and that makes it all the more special.
There have been a number of reviews of tube sets on the Soundstage network, for example, that use the Axiom M3 as a reference monitor and they are thought of very highly. The're not terribly expensive but they sound great and they have no problem at all handling 7 watts and below. There are others on this forum that use M3s with tubes also and have voiced their enthusiasm for the match-up. Your amp with M3s in a stereo only configuration could be a real winner, reguardless of what you end up doing with your home theater set-up. At any rate your tube amp with the Onkyo preamp sounds too good to just set aside, I'm glad to hear you're using it. That kind of history deserves to be preserved.
Your Dad would be pleased.
Rich
