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 2 responses by oddiofyl

oddiofyl's avatar
oddiofyl
4,151 posts
 

I have had several different tube amps over the years.  40 and 50 watt EL34 and 6l6 amps.   They drove speakers around 90 dB sens in a room about 17 X 15    
 

My latest amp is a 40 watt Solid State amp and it can drive 86 dB sens speakers to pretty decent volumes cleanly in roughly the same size room. 
 

That said I would avoid low powered SET amps with those speakers and look at something 40 or 50 watts with tubes that are readily available is what I would suggest 

I have a 300b and it sounds beautiful but only with my Forte.  It just doesn’t have the power to play low to moderately low sensitivity speakers    

oddiofyl's avatar
oddiofyl
4,151 posts
 

I also can recommend KT100 after owning several QS products.  I currently have Mid Monos.   They have been super reliable.  10 years old and have been trouble free.  Many , many hours on them and only a few tubes over the years.   

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