2. amps-preamps
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Class D for a Tube Lover

First, I'm sure this has been asked many times but searching the subject wasn't too helpful to me.

So apologies in advance.

I enjoy tubed electronics and class A amps, which tend to be a bit warm.  My current Cary 805s warm my small (12x16) music room even in the cool/cold of winter.  I've got other amps that don't produce much heat, but am looking for something that produces no heat.  Living in a home with no central AC the room gets uncomfortably hot during the summer months.

So...I'd like to try some Class D amps.  Stereo or mono is just fine.  And my speakers aren't difficult to drive so I don't need a thousand watts.  But if that thousand watt amp sounds great, I'm not adverse to that, either.

I'd like to keep the price under 2k used.  

Please help.

Thanks.


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gkr7007's avatar
gkr7007
140 posts
 
Don't give up on tube amps.  Two that come to mind that have a control circuit that allows the tubes to run low temps are Carver Crimson 275 and Linear Tube Audio.  If you're hooked on the tube sound class D may not satisfy you, but try Digital Amplifier Company (DAC) and their lineup.
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jjgasp
64 posts
 
Ditch the amps you have and just get a PS Audio Sprout100 or a vintage Fisher 500-C with the budget you’ve got.  Will blow away any preamp you can get for your current amps.  
bullitt5094's avatar
bullitt5094
266 posts
 
I love my Lyngdorf what was chosen in side-by-side comparisons against both LTA tube amps and a couple of class A and AB amps. I couldn't believe it was the best of the lot, but it absolutely was. I have the TDAI-2170. And another advantage is, you don't need an external DAC so you can save a ton of money on that front too. My analog inputs to it include a Feickert turntable with a whestTWO.2 preamp feed to the analog inputs of the 2170. The analog inputs do not sound "digital" at all. Closest thing I've found that acts like a wire with gain. Seems to add or subtract noting from anything you feed it.
daveman2's avatar
daveman2
58 posts
 
Following up on my new(used) NAD M32. So far, it betters my last DAC/amp combo, the PS Audio DSD DAC + M700 monos. It does so many things right (insert a long string of audiophile descriptors here) and very few things wrong - in fact, nothing to my ears, yet. It is not *warm* but I agree with JA in Stereophile, "[...]what emerged as a consistent signature was a clean, clear quality of sound that stepped out of the music’s way[...]" and "Highly recommended." Purchased for $2450 used, and SafeandSound (a NAD authorized dealer) sometimes has refurbished ones available.
jfuquay
104 posts
 
I will be another to recommend the obvious: tubed input stage, Class D output. Rogue and PS Audio do it, and I’m sure some others in what seems to be a growing trend. Or a Class A input, Class D output as an option. Just FYI, I bought the Musical Fidelity amp mentioned earlier and found it brighter than the Class D Teac A-H01 it was supposed to replace (tho the MF had very energetic sound, a nice amp). Just remember that your ears and preferences are yours alone, so maybe get some ideas from others and find the one that suits you. 
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