American-made integrated tube amplifiers


I have been holding out for an American-made integrated tube amp. It seems, however, that all the recent buzz has been about Asian-made products. Obviously, economics has forced many of us to reconsider our equipment budgets. This most often narrows amp selection to foreign manufacturered designs. Is there an affordably priced "made-in-the-USA" integrated tube amp that clearly outperforms and outclasses the current comparative Asian products filling the approx. $1500 price range? A scan through the common publications indicate, not.
ejineffect

Showing 1 response by aball

I've seen Chinese tube amps go up in smoke as well.

But the fact is that tube amps aren't cheap to make correctly and the US labor costs are horribly high. There are American options that are worthy in the $1500 range but you'll probably have to settle for used components, such as the Manley Stingray, Conrad Johnson CAV-50, VAC Williamson, VTL-IT 85, Cary SLI-80. I can't think of any new ones, other than the Cronus, in this price range. Just a fact of life I guess!

Arthur