Best Integrated Tube Amp for 2.5K or Less

You might consider the JoLida JD-1000A, at $1700 retail. Disclaimer - I'm a JoLida dealer. I sort of specialize in amps that work well with electrostats, since my primary loudspeaker line is Sound Lab electrostats. The JD-1000A uses the EL-34 output tube, which is more musical in the midrange than the KT88/6550 familiy of tubes, while the KT88/6550's are more powerful per tube, and generally have better bass. The JoLida's output transformer is quite good for the money, and this amp has what it takes to drive a hybrid electrostat like the Aerius i.

Among the other amps here, the Audio Research uses two 6550/KT88 output tubes, and the VTL and CJ each use four EL34 output tubes (so despite the optimistic power rating of the VTL, it's essentially the same power as the CJ or the little JoLida 302B). The JoLida JD-1000A uses EIGHT EL34's, so it's twice as powerful as the other EL34 amps mentioned here (and more than twice as powerful as the AR amp). That extra power is welcome when driving the Martin Logans, but because the JoLida does it with the EL34 tube, you don't trade off midrange performance for power. And the JoLida costs less than the others, so you can put the extra money into a tube upgrade if you'd like.

I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Best of luck to you!

Duke

In response to Marakentz's post: Before I took on any entry-level tube amp line, I discussed various low-priced tube amplifiers with an experienced local audio technician who's a hard-core audiophile, as well as an audio equipment manufacturer and inventor. He builds tube amps. In response to my questions, he said the JoLida amps use decent quality components (equal to or better than some of the more expensive amps mentioned in this thread, though he doesn't like the stock tubes). He also likes the simple, easy to repair topology. He told me that in his experience JoLidas are more reliable than several more expensive brands mentioned by name in this thread (his one-word comment when I asked about one of the brands in this thread was "Boom!"). Based on my technician's extensive experience and their price/performance ratio, I decided to become a JoLida dealer. By the way, just for the record, neither he nor I nor any of my customers have ever encountered any DC offset problem with JoLida amps.

I've only had one customer have a problem with a JoLida product - a bad solder joint on an input terminal, which the factory of course fixed at no charge. I have yet to have a customer complain that the sound of their JoLida amp wasn't up to their expectations - in fact, I have yet to have a customer who didn't tell me he was quite pleased. I'm using a JD-302B in my bedroom right now, and I have numerous more expensive amps on hand.

The Chinese-wound transformers are the key to JoLida keeping their cost down. Nope, they aren't as good as a German or Swiss transformer. But if we're going to compare apples to apples, we need to compare products in the same price range.

If we were trying to drive Quad 57's, I'd say the $2500 CJ amp would make more sense (though the $950 JD-302B sounds very good on my Quads). The Martin Logans need more power than that, so for 2/3 the price, the more powerful and still very good-sounding JoLida JD-1000A makes sense.

Marakentz, as you allude, the JoLidas can be improved by upgrading components. The same is true of all budget audio products - the difference is, the JoLida is fairly easy to work on so it CAN be upgraded. The kind of person who buys JoLida is often an extremely passionate music lover on a tight budget, and this kind of person is more likely to go to the trouble to upgrade it himself.

Most of the gear I sell is quite expensive - my top-selling amps retail for ten grand, and my most successful product is a sixteen-grand speaker. I took on JoLida because I didn't want to only sell to wealthy audiophiles who travel to my by-appointment-only listening room. I also wanted something to offer the college student or newly married or otherwise cash-poor but passion-rich audiophile. Relatively speaking I don't make a lot of money off of a JoLida sale, but I do get a lot of satisfaction out of it.

Congrats on your purchase, Dennis! I think you'll like what tubes do for the Aerius i.

Marakentz, you make a very good point - often it's most cost-effective to buy a very good used amp instead of a less expensive new one. By the way, the local Martin Logan dealer is also a VTL dealer, and I personally prefer the sound of his Martins driven by the VTL's over his big Krell or Levinson amps.