Wow, @sfar got me to thinking...I have owned a completely upgraded (VH audio Reference
V-Cap CuTF output caps plus Cary volume IR upgrade and mains cap upgrades
l)
Cary Sli-80 FI Signature for about a year. Bought used for $2,500. Great integrated amp, although improvement in sound (personal taste) comes with some upgrades to tubes (Genelex Gold Lion KT88's,
Winged "C" (SED) 5U4-G grey plate,
Shuguang CV181 6SL7-T and
PHILIPS SQ E88CC / 6922. I cant complain abotu this amp driving Fritz Carbon MkII speakers (86db). May try out Nighthawk.
Best integrated tube amplifier, under $3,000.00. No phono needed. Could be used, too.d
What's the best integrated tube amplifier under 3k, don't need phono. Used is ok, too. Thanks!
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I don’t have any experience with integrated tube amps, but I love my Prima Luna tube preamp. They also have 2 integrated tube amps under 3K. https://www.primaluna-usa.com/primaluna-evo-200-tube-integrated Happy hunting.... |
I’ve owned the Rogue Cronus, Cary Sli-80, AES/Cary AE-25, Cayin A-50T and now the Raven Audio Blackhawk LE. The Raven is by far my favorite, a realistic, immersive sound that gets completely out of the way of the music. The service from the head of the company is outstanding. The Nighthawk is their least expensive amp at $2,995. It would be difficult to find a used one but they offer a free 45 day in-home audition where you can hear it with your own equipment. ravenaudio.com |
I have good experience with both Rogue Cronus Magnum II and Line Magnetic 508. The choice will depend on the efficiency of your speaker. If you need more headroom, go for Rogue Cronus. After tube rolling of Nos Telefuken 12ax7(around 200$ for pair) and Amperex(150$ for pair) or Mullard(around 100$ for pair) 12 Au7, Cronus Magnum give very good sound with nice details and bass. New production Mullard 12 Au7 is just better than stock tubes but not extraordinary. You can try to get Nos tubes from Ebay dealer with return policy. Thus it is advisable to get used Magum II and do tube rolling. https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9ggc7-rogue-audio-cronus-magnum-2-silver-faceplate-demo-w-warranty-tube But overall Line Magnetic 508 give more refined sound although new price is above 4K$. But you will end up spending lot more money on tube rolling for 805 and 300B tubes. Thomas |
There is no "best" because it's subjective. Everyone has different likes and I doubt there's anyone that has heard every single device that fits in your ballpark and if they have, they heard them with different speakers and other components than yours. Having said that as a qualifier, I would give consideration to an ARC VSi60. Another qualifier is that I've never heard one, but I do own the VSi55 and love it. From what I've read, the VSi60 is an improvement. You should audition whatever you are considering, so my suggestion is to give one a listen and see what you think. |