A little tube magic?


I’m looking for some ideas and impressions. I’d really like to run tubes for amplification, but my system pulls double duty for music and tv. It is on probably about 8 hours a day for one or the other.  This just seems like to much to me for running tubes. I’m looking for a way to be able to keep my solid state setup but add tubes in a manner I can switch them in and out. I have couple of ideas but I am aware neither is very ideal. 
First I thought I could add a tube preamp or maybe even buffer in the tape loop of my McIntosh C46. I know this will add more complexity for the signal to pas through. I’m not sure if I can expect gains that will be better that what I lose by adding extra cables and components.

My second idea would be to add a tube power amp on some sort of switch, something similar the the Shiit SYS. Which is basically a passive preamp with two inputs and a potentiometer. I’ve read that can use it backwards kind of and have the output be the input and run the two inputs to two different amps and then switch between the two. I would think I’d need two sets of speaker cables to make this work, and switch them back and forth as needed. I’m not really fond of either idea and hope there may be a solution I’m unaware of. I really just want tubes for music and ss for tv if it’s possible.  
A third option would be to get a tube dac for music listening, but I’m unsure if I’ll be able to get the amount of tube sound I’m after. I guess I could see it as part of the solution along with tubes in the pre or power amp as well. 
Any thoughts or ideas would be much appreciated. 
brylandgoodman

Showing 3 responses by atmasphere

Does the product have a name or number? When will it have a page on your website with pics? What is the gain and input impedance?
No. Soon. About 28dB and 100K.
Ralph,
Are you shipping your GaN amp?.....if so, what do the customers think?.....and how much is it? Any specs besides 100 watts?
@ricevs 
We are shipping limited production. We posted one customer's comments (which seem pretty typical) on the feedback section of our website. Right now they are priced at 5300/pair.


The amp makes 100 Watts into 8 Ohms and 200 into 4; to that end we are being conservative. It can drive a 4 Ohm load at 200 watts all day long without overheating. The amp has balanced and single-ended inputs. It uses a linear power supply rather than switching. The switching frequency is about 500KHz. Phase shift at 20KHz is less than 1 degree- about the same as our tube amps. The output impedance is about 10milliOhms. The distortion signature is very similar to our OTLs, with the lower ordered harmonics dominating and higher orders falling off with an exponential decay. This allows it a smooth presentation.
I would love to run a tube power amp but nervous about running 50+ hours a week. How long do most power tubes last?
@brylandgoodman

Usually the driver/voltage amplifier tubes will last 3-4 times longer than the power tubes. But a lot depends on how hard you drive the amp. If you're pushing the amp hard for power, expect to replace the power tubes more often. OTOH, if your speakers are easy to drive so the power tubes are loafing, they might last 5-10 years. Heat is the enemy of tubes; the harder you push them the hotter they will get.

So if you really want to make this work, the key is to have speakers that are easy to drive, such that the amp isn't working hard. Then 50 hours a week is no sweat.