Brandon, I was somewhat in your shoes 15 years ago. I decided to leap into tubes as well. I elected to keep my ss amp(an Adcom 555ii and added a tube PreAmp. I chose a used Audible Illusions line stage. Wow! What a difference! I enjoyed the AI for ~10 years then added a tube amp, a Conrad-Johnson Premier 11a. It was an improvement, but not as much as the preamp. I think the preamp is where you get the ‘tube’ sound! There are a lot of used tube preamps on the market. People have mentioned several. I admit I’m partial to Audible Illusions, it’s an old brand, but with a good rep.
Diving into the world of tubes...help needed!
Hi all,
I'm seriously considering diving into the world of vacuum tubes. I currently have Focal Aria 906s which I adore...but may upgrade those in the future as well to a floor standing speaker. For the beginning though, they will be my speakers. Looking for opinions on the below amps/preamps, especially the pairing of the Emotiva pre with the EVO 100!
My choices have been narrowed down to:
I'm seriously considering diving into the world of vacuum tubes. I currently have Focal Aria 906s which I adore...but may upgrade those in the future as well to a floor standing speaker. For the beginning though, they will be my speakers. Looking for opinions on the below amps/preamps, especially the pairing of the Emotiva pre with the EVO 100!
My choices have been narrowed down to:
- PrimaLuna Prologue Classic Integrated Amp - would likely pair with a Schiit Loki to have tone control
- PrimaLuna EVO 100 Power Amp - paired with EMOTIVA PT-100 preamp, would likely pair with Loki as well
- Vincent SV-237MK Integrated Amp - needs nothing additional