I am TORN between Tube power amp and SS power amp.


I planned on running my Hagerman Clarinet with either my Hafler DH-500 (looking at "Ultimate" Audiophile Upgrade sold on Ebay at $975.00 - complete upgrade from power caps, driver boards to Exicon MOSFETs, which has "rave reviews") or building DIY VTA ST-120 which will cost a bit more. Does anyone had an experience on both of these amps? I know comparing tube and SS is like comparing apples and oranges, but hoping your feedback may help me decide. Cheers!
rodulfo23

Showing 2 responses by buellrider97

  Also , I have a Had Inspire on right now . At 12 WPC , don’t even try to run the JBL’s . That’s why I have Heresys and KG 1.5’s to supplement  my Zu’s . 
   Hi Rodulfo, I have a pair of JBL 4312A’s on Sound Anchor stands . They are currently in the closet as I went to low power tubes . Your speakers need 100 plus wpc tube or 200 wpc SS . I’ve run these along with  my long gone Century 100’s using Dynaco MKIII’s ( 60 wpc ) , ASL 30 wpc ( El 34’s) Sansui 9090db, Bryston 4BSST, Yamaha RX-V, Modwright KWI-200. So with tubes , 30 wpc was too little and 60 was just starting to cut it . The Yamaha was 105 wpc ( but home theater stuff ) so not good. The Modwright had good control , but was dry . The Bryston was great ( so maybe the Hafler would be nice) . I contacted Quicksilver and they recommended their 120 wpc amps . Most people underestimate how much power the JBL’s need . Also too little power leads to clipping damage . I would go with SS for simplicity, but it might be too dry for your taste. This is a good speaker for a tube pre and a SS amp , or a big tube amp. I’m actually considering the Latino 120 wpc Monos . FWIT many people bi-amp the big JBL’s with tubes on top and SS for the woofers ( sometimes class D). But that’s a whole different beast , but due to the large power requirements. Many of us are willing to deal with the hassle of tubes because the result can be stunning with vintage JBL’s . BTW I also have Klipsch Heresys, but prefer the JBL’s . Happy Hunting, Mike.