2. amps-preamps
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I'm going to buy my first tube amp. I need honest blunt opinions

 

 

Recommendations please. I am thinking of dipping my toes in the tube amp water.  For the longest time I have been tempted to buy a modest tube amp to run my Monitor Gold 300’s at 90db.

I’ve been toying around, researching the different characteristics of SET, class A, class AB, B Ultralinear tube amps for months. It’s a bit much. As far as the reviewers go, they are too vague. They are afraid to be upfront honest.

Sources are a Parasound JC 3+, a Innous ZENith Mk3, and a Oppo going to a Benchmark DAC, then all go to a Benchmark LA 4 preamp that will feed the new amp.

My room is 16 x16. The speakers have a 12-foot spread. I sit 14 feet back, so it’s not that big of a room.

I have narrowed it down to four candidates.

A used Canary Audio M90 300B Tube Amp at 24RMS,300B push-pull stereo triode Class A $4,000

A used Jadis Orchestra Black, 40 RMS, Class B $4,000

A 16-year-old, Used Cary Audio Six Pac Monoblock’s, 50 triode watts A/AB $2,000

A new Dynaco by WILL VINCENT 35RMS Ultralinear $2,300

 

marshinski15

Showing 3 responses by decooney

decooney
1,906 posts
 

If you want "blunt, I’d pass on all of the tube amps on your list, and ditch the Benchmark DAC, I had one and could not stand it. One of the most un-engaging dacs I’ve owned.

As for your speakers, and this graph, (and I’m a 100wpc mono tube amp owner myself) I’d be looking for a nice velvety 200wpc mosfet solid state amplifier. I think you’ll be much happier and your speakers deserve the right matching amp imo. 3.5-4.0 ohms is just getting too far down there for most tube amps. The amps I’m using right now would do it, and so would KT Monos yet I’d throttle expectations after seeing this graph and considering what tube amps you might need.

Worth checking the used market for nice SS mosfet amps (too) if interested.

decooney
1,906 posts
 

 

@pwerahera +1 @decooney "Your speakers needs a good SS amplifier. Some may not agree, but when your impedance drops below 4 ohms, it is a problem for tube amps to drive it. "

 

I’m glad you posted this to help the OP more. Some people are not looking at the graph above or translating to (needs FLAT response) as they keep talking about speaker sensitivity instead of helpful flat impedance and load - with TUBE amps.

What makes a speaker Tube Amp friendly? Sure any of these tube amps will produce sound, BUT, how does it function, and does it sound good? I came across this old thread, many threads out there like this to understand more.

 

Link: Tube amp sound - affected by your speakers more than you’d think

 

 

decooney
1,906 posts
 

@paulcreed I haven’t read every post but the op decided not to buy an amp. He’s going to buy speakers.

 

Missed that, and worth noting. Depending on what speakers are chosen by the OP, a speaker change could potentially open the door more for a wider selection of sweet sounding tube amps as well - if that's a direction the OP wants to go. 

 

 

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