Best 70+ Watt Tube amp


I have a Thor phono preamp and a Conrad-Johnson Premier 16 LSII preamp, looking to upgrade my amp and also eventually my speakers, which are B&W matrix 804's. Looking for some good suggestions for amps, amp and speaker combos, and just any thoughts in general. My present amp is a C-J Premier 11a, but I want more power(who doesn't?). Have not tried SET's so any thoughts along that line would be appreciated.
My previous amp was a C-J MV52, which I still have but the step up in sound and performance with the 11a was substantial that I am not looking to go back to under 50Wattes/channel. Have heard a 200W/;channel McIntosh but thought I'd just throw it open and see what experience I can gain from your experience.
Thanks Michael
uru975

Showing 1 response by jeffreybehr

If you're thinking of driving your 804s (or 803s or 802s, etc.) full-range, you'll want LOTS of power.
1. Consider the ASL Hurricanes, highly affordable 200WP-chassis monoamps*. There are at least a couple pairs for sale here. I'd look for the version with triode switch. They are easily upgradable too. This gets you 4-1/2 dB more power...OR...
2. Buy another Premier Eleven and vertically biamp them (my preference) or use them in mono. Or buy a pair of Premier Twelves; they're already 140 Watts per mono chassis. Any of these 3 alternatives gets you 3dB more power.

3. If you'd consider passive-biamping them, look for a solidstate amp of at least 100WPC and with a gain (volume) control for bass use, with your Premier Eleven on the middle/top. If you still don't have enough power, see alternatives 1 and 2.
4. If money is not a major concern, buy a Premier 140. It's the newest-generation of c-j's fabulous poweramps.

I THINK SETs aren't for you. If 70 tubed Watts into an 804 isn't enough, there isn't a SET I know of that will have enough power. I'm driving rather insensitive (86dB) Quad 989s with 50-Watt ASL 805DTs into a fairly large (c. 3200c.f.) room, but I have a hunch you listen at higher levels than I--the Premier Eleven I had was plenty powerful enough.

* A rant--who the hell ever came up with 'monoblock' to describe single-channel amps? YUK!!!!
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