First Tube amp suggestions


I am thinking of buying my first tube amplifier and really have no idea where to start.  Years ago I listened to a Sophia Electric  el34 amp (SET) driving a pair of Joseph Audio rm7si bookshelf speakers in a very well set up room and could not believe how sweet they sounded together for the price. (It really felt like James Taylor was in the room).  I regret that I never pulled the trigger on that system and do not know what a good entry level system would be nowadays.  I listen  mainly to male and female folk rock and an occasional classical or jazz album (Cd's and streaming from Tidal)  My current speakers are Triangle Borea BR03's  -90 db but am open to swapping them out. and the listening room is 14' x 20'.  There is a lot of internet chatter about low cost tube amps like the Reisong A12 and the mid priced Williston R8.  Are these amps worth buying or where should I start?  Thanks in advance!

tritube

@tritube whether you go Black Ice Audio, or Rogue Audio, or Quicksilver Audio integrated [for example] or any of these USA manufacturers or distributors, at least you have 1) people who know how to repair the amps in this country, 2) shipping back to the factory is also a more viable option, 3) some of these MFGs will actually still talk to you on the phone - imagine that.

Something to be said about same-country customer service should something go sideways, and usually not. This is what I think most of us are sharing so you have a good tube amp experience. And, these three companies dont get a lot of failures or returns. Since they sell all over the world, they try to engineer out failures with specific parts selection too.

I second the rec for a pre-owned Cayin, specifically the A88T. They sound excellent, are bulletproof, and can run 6550s, KT88s, El34s and even KT120s. They are quieter than some tube amps costing many multiples more. Since the circuit is point-to-point and largely based on the Mac 275, any good tube amp tech should be able to figure out how to service it.  
 

The same candid salesman who turned me onto the Cayin brand (who didn’t sell Cayin at the time) once told me that Jolida (Black Ice) products don’t perform very well. Maybe the newer stuff is much better but his words were the Jolidas “are POS.” FWIW….

Anything made by Quicksilver Audio,

I have owned a lot of their amps, preamps, and they all sound great.

I am not affiliated with them, just a happy user of their equipment.

 

Amplifiers – Quicksilver Audio

When you just go out and buy an amp, what you have is a compromise constrained by your budget, compatibility, etc.  Those little SET amps have no juice and unless you're running K-horns, will have no head room or depth.  Pbfffttt...

It's a totally different experience when you build a kit amp, like one of the VTA amps.  You get enormous satisfaction from the build and you learn a great deal about operating and maintaining an amp.  You don't get an ounce of that buying a standard commercial product.

With a kit amp, you get to choose what components go into it. Maybe you want to spend a little more on your coupling caps, or any number of other little improvements.  You're much, much more involved in your gear and your system when you build from a kit.  And lest you think it's not as good as a pre-built commercial product, remember that it was designed by a professional audio engineer.  The VTA amps are extremely well thought of and rarely come up on the used market for a reason.

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