2. amps-preamps
  3. 165540-159832

Dream Speakers = landed. Now I need to feed them!

So I scored a pair of Belle Klipsch (1987 models, AB crossover).  I would have gone for Khorns, but the room they were going in just wasn't going to work.  RIght now, I'm running a cheap little Sony (STR-DH190) stereo receiver on them, and even that sounds amazing, but I know I've barely scratched the surface of what they're capable of.  The dream is a pair of SET monoblocks (probably 300B type), though I'm worried about not being able to drive the bottom enough.  I listen to a wide array of music from classical and opera to extreme metal, though my wife is decidedly more of a rock person, so I definitely need something that will push those woofers proper. 

Due to lifestyle and logistics, a big piece of my source audio is going to be HQ feeds from my laptop via Bluetooth.  I know, not an ideal source, but until I build my HTPC, it's just going to have to work.  I also need to run optical out from my Sony Bravia (which I can't do right now because the receiver doesn't have optical in and the TV doesn't have analog out).  

Here's the hard part: Right now, I can't really spend more than $1k for the whole shebang.  So I started hunting.

At first I was sniffing around looking for a tube preamp that can handle both Bluetooth and Toslink, but all that seems to be out there are suspiciously cheap Chinese integrated amps that have no pre out for later use.  I also looked at some dedicated DAC's such as the Cambridge Audio DACMagic, that I knew I could pair with a BT-capable tube pre.  But I'm still sketchy about the cheap Chinese kit.  I've heard positive things about Dared, though, and I was thinking their 5BT would be a good foundation alongside the aforementioned DAC, because I could use its power stage for right now, and if I can't stay in the right now budget to get a good pair of monoblocks, then I could wait for a while and buy the right ones later. 

Thoughts? Opinions?  Alternative ideas?  


jerkface
vinylshadow
490 posts
 
sgreg1109 posts04-01-2021 12:02pmDon’t care what anyone will say but you can’t do HT and two channel with one system without major compromises to the two channel sound. Even if you have to plug and unplug the speakers for the different applications keep they systems separate. Trust me been there three it thought it was great but soon realized it was a big fail. Went to two channel independent and never looked back.
@sgreg1
Yes you can! I have a HT and I would challenge you that my 2 channel sounds as good as many 2 channel systems. Admittedly, I’ve spent a lot to get that sound( Vertere Acoustics MG-1 table/ Rogue Ares Magnum phono drive,Classe SSP-800 processor with analog pass through to 2 Jeff Rowland Model 12 monoblocks powering JM Lab Mezzo Utopia’s). There are zero sonic compromises.

I think a lot depends on the processor in many ways.
unreceivedogma's avatar
unreceivedogma
979 posts
 
Don’t listen to Millercarbon.
Go with a Dyna 70.
It’s even sorta period correct.
There are many available as stock, or modified as this one is:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/DYNACO-DYNAKIT-VTA-ST-70-Tube-Amplifier-NEW-Build-/154394386390?_trksid=p23...

Still considered one of the best amps of all time. Period. 
Pair it with a Dyna PAS. You will want a rebuilt modified PAS.
A bit more than your budget at the moment, but if you stretch it, this could last you a long time. A very long time.
nstewart769
1 posts
 
I too went down a similar journey and found that a pre-owned Peachtree Nova 150 did the trick until I could afford to build the front end I really wanted.  Lived with it for 2 years and it's really good for the money @ $800-$1000 used.  It has a decent DAC, good class D power with great low end control and all the connections you could possibly want, including optical and even Home Theater bypass.  You get a whole lot for your money.  It's what most would consider a mid-fi solution but I think it will push your  Klipsch's nicely at 150 watts into 8ohms.  Not to mention it's stunningly beautiful and has a sort of vintage look of its own.  Because you're buying pre-owned, you can likely get most of your money back once you upgrade.  
artemus_5's avatar
artemus_5
1,927 posts
 
I can highly recommend the Bob Latino (VTA) ST-70. I ran one with my Silverlines @93.5 db with great results. FWIW I bought it to dip my toes in the tube amp side just to see. It replaced a $4500 250 wpc amp which was from a well respected company. So don't listen to those who think you need "headroom" with 200wpc. Its NOT true especially with 104db speakers. If you are handy with a soldering iron you can buy the kit for the ST-70 for a little less than your budget. The pro built one is about $1300 and worth every penny. Its also a tube rollers dream amp that can use a LOT of different tubes. Sometimes a used one comes up for sale.

tubes4hifi amplifier KITs page
jerkface OP
73 posts
 
I too went down a similar journey and found that a pre-owned Peachtree Nova 150 did the trick until I could afford to build the front end I really wanted. Lived with it for 2 years and it's really good for the money @ $800-$1000 used. It has a decent DAC, good class D power with great low end control and all the connections you could possibly want, including optical and even Home Theater bypass.
Just saying, I'd just as soon stand pat with my Sony if I can't move into tubes.  Klipsch speakers, particularly the Khorn, Belle, and LaScala, were literally designed for tubes.  I feel pretty strongly like I have a path here, starting with the Denon DAC I just ordered and ending with the Quicksilver monoblocks.  I might look at tube preamps afterward just to bridge that gap, but there will be a lot of room treatments (not to mention house reno work including cutting a big hole in a wall that is currently a big reflector in the back) happening before I even consider taking that step. 

This is not a set-in-concrete plan, but it is a point of emphasis that I'm not interested in spending on digital or SS amps to pair with these babies. Even the shitty Sony sounds great through the Belles, and I'd rather put up with its deficiencies than spend money on kit that doesn't get me closer to the end-state. 

More to discover