I've decided to try Tubes

Amta-Sphere M60s are a very interesting call...heard the Atma-Sphere Novacrons last week and they sounded fantastic.  I would like to hear the M60s to compare...the Novacron owner said if the Novacrons weren't there to compare, I would love the M60s, but the Novacrons are better on really, really top-end speakers.  Regardless, that puts the M60s in a great light, in my opinion...especially for the $.

++ Dynamo 34SE MKII

The M60 is a sleeping Giant.

I would recommend the Atma-Sphere M60 Amps, Change the Stock Tubes to better 6SN7 Such as RCA or Ken RAD. You can thank me later :-)

Older thread, sorry to revive, but yes PL mates very well with Zu.  I currently own two PrimaLuna integrateds and 3 sets of Zu speakers (Cube, Unions, and Soul Supremes).  Check out a few of my recent posts on the Primaluna HP for getting the most out of it.  I would call my Dialogue 2 a great amp for the money, but with KT-150s the HP is simply a great amp period.  My experience is while the Zus are really, really efficient, they shine on all kinds of music with a push-pull at 40 wpc or more, or a nice vintage SS (my Cubes sound amazing with a Marantz 2265) of similar wattage.  I've tried a few 3-10 watt'rs and while they sound amazing at lower volumes and with acoustic/voice (still own a First Watt SIT-2 and 2 Transcendent OTLs), they lose a little punch and immediacy at higher levels or with more aggressive/complex music.

aberyclark,
Like you, I ran various B&K mosfet based amp systems for 25+ years and understand the interest in tubes if you like that warm B&K sound. The best was the ultra high current dual mono amps and last edition preamps before it all went to AV, ugh.  FYI:  ATI amplifiers bought the defunct B&K company as you may be aware. I recently learned that ATI is going to bring back the B&K brand, and I suspect it will be very different and updated with ATI designer influence behind it.  Years ago I eventually moved from B&K to Cary tube pre-amps/amps along with friends wanting to explore tubes. It's been a lot of fun messing with various tube amps, pre-amplifiers, mods/upgrades. Then one day I tried some of the more recent solid state gear and started playing with mixing tube pre-amp front ends with solid state back end amplifiers. It's another combination I waited way too long to try and now that I have, I will always have this combination and continue to search for a great back-end tube amp that can match it in sound quality, dynamics, and full deep bass. I thought I would never leave tube amps, and probably would not have happened until I heard a newer and much different solid state amplifier paired with with a tube preamplifier with really good NOS tubes. It's going to take a hell of a pair of tube monblocks to replace this tube pre and SS amp combo. The only recommendation I can make is to try (borrow/buy/return) different amps with your speakers until you find a match if you loved the B&K stuff. Took me several tube amps and ss amps to find a match that worked well.  Good Luck.   

OP,
I would add the Rogue Audio ST-100 to your list. It’s about 3k new but used should be close to your budget. I’ve owned two different Jadis amps and while the Rogue is not quite in that league it has nothing to be ashamed of.

musical paradise was mentioned, i would second that. Mine works great, auto bias and rolling is easy. plus the money you save can go to high end tubes. kt 88, 6l6, el 334 etc. you donnt need all that power with 101 db rating right

Sweet.....I have popping cookies to look forward to after getting the Linear Tube Audio pre and amp? Might be the best tweak yet!

I'm in a perpetual state of cookie popping

@aberyclark I've personally found tube burn in to be a fairly subtle thing, a good tube will sound good from the get go, and will certainly open up a bit as it burns in. I don't think it changes the nature of the sound that much but it does improve. Just pop the tubes in listen and let break in take care of itself. As with all things YMMV.

Did you pop a cookie after you heard them!!

After hearing a Linear Tube Audio amp, I sold all of my Decware gear and rebuilt 2 systems. This LTA stuff is incredible.

One question for Tube owners. How long do new tubes typically take to break in. I've rbeen ad that some high end Gold Lion tubes need a couple of hours of burn in time to open up.  Just curious

Look for Triode Labs El-84 amps, used, for a stretch of your price. (See 6-Moons review.)  Or, Decware Mini Torri MkII El-84's \the best choice of a top speaker placement specialist I'm aware of (on Def IV's, in Atl.)  (Not me, though I do own Def IV's...Tannoy Churchills, lots of Living Voice, Opera, Totem & DeCappo). They're a good start, you'll might move to 2A3's or OTL's later for a little more extension or transparency but with a loss of bass solidity. - Don't think these smaller output tubes don't do bass.
El-84's were what some of the best amps "of the day/back in the day", Scott Amps, used. Don't count them short. -About 20 push/pull watts. "Good" is  still  Good.
(I too, think the Zu speakers are a bit less efficient than they claim to be.)

Linear tube audio has some amps that might work nicely, and they offer a 15 day in-home trial that might be very good for perspective if nothing else.   Best of luck. 

Kinda gives the "first watt" concept new meaning since after the first watt there's just the second watt and that's it.

Never heard Primaluna driving Zu's, but I drove my Zu Definition Mkiii's with 5 watt Cary Audio 2a3 mono blocks for a couple of years before trying a $995 Decware Zen and falling in love with it.  I can say with 100% certainty that the current Zu full range drivers thrive on SET power.  The little Zen might be worth a shot, especially considering the incredible support system that comes with Decware gear.  I've owned tons of well respected tube gear over the past 35 years, but to my ears, the 2 watt Decware SE84CKC, at far less cost, is as good or better than all the rest.  

Atmasphere…a GOOSE…well done. And, since I think everybody should feel the same as I do about everything (it's simply a mystery that they don’t), I wonder why everybody isn’t into great sounding audio and motorcycles. You get blank stares when talking to most people about either thing, along with the "my cousin Bob had his head crushed on his Harley" stuff regarding motorcycles…or "my uncle Clem had some McIntosh amps I think"…it’s a strange world.

first of all, congratulations for taking the leap.  i have had all tubes for about a year an a half and will never go back to solid state.  the spacious open sound and huge sound stage are something i can never give up.  
i have put solid state amps back in play on occasion but instantly notice that is is a step in the wrong direction.  
the highest value tube amp that i have heard is the raven audio nighthawk (~2600) for a true high end sound.  look it up.  it will be perfect for your speakers.  

(^^ 1982 MotoGuzzi LeMans)

Since my tube amp is in use a lot…I turn it off if I'm out of the house on an errand or riding my fabulous 2012 slightly modded Bonneville t100 (tossed that in as a nod to other bikers as I've been into motorcycles to some degree for over 50 years…it's sad that Beull seems to have bowed out again…I've always thought they were cool) I think a great ultra linear push pull tube amp can sound astonishingly good and be somewhat more efficient than an SET, although one of my fave guitar amps is a little SET class A 18 watt thing that really sings (Burriss Royal Bluesman). 

Leonard, 
What is the frequency?

What is the frequency?

What is the frequency?

Huh???

Have Bear, over in Japan whip you up a dual-chassis (power supply, amp head)
3CX300A7 dual, (push-pull) ceramic triode PA. Pressurized plenums and chimneys
to direct the air through the fins.

Life is too short for flea power.

And Remember, the emphasis is on instantaneous power, but RMS will carry the day.

 

Lol, obviously I was being a clown. I tried to apply some peer pressure tactics, guess it didn't work. The big SETs are still king.

@madavid0 , Well I guess I'm just a loser . I thought that we were sharing positive experiences , not measuring our penis. Eventually I might get to your perceived level of greatness . In the meantime I'll just have fun learning about audio equipment from like minded people . I'm just trying to enjoy audio on a tight budget. Maybe if I sold my Ranger boat , HD roadking and Buell, I could move up to the big boy league . But hey , nobody ever took my lunch money when I was a kid. So best of luck to you and thanks to everybody else for sharing their wisdom with me.   Regards, Mike Bolger . 

@buellrider, 
I have the Bifrost Multibit as well as a Modi, and just upgraded to the Gungnir.I didn't think it could get better, but it did.
 If you can move to Balanced interconnects, I recommend you do so. Though even using optical cable, the sound was improved using the Gungy.

Mdavid0 is correct…in a meeting of tube designers years ago it was determined that losers needed tubes too, so the KT88, 120, and 150s were designed to meet that need.

Check out www.musicalparadise.ca

I started my path away from solid state toward tubes with a Rogue Cronus integrated. It was a revelation, but not the most refined amp -- serious bang for the buck, however. For a few months I switched between a killer Ayon KT88-based amp and a Raven 6L6 amp. Both sounded great, they were very different amps and I finally moved the Raven into my home office and kept the Ayon in the primary system.

These equipment changes are exactly what the doctor ordered if you want to find a solid excuse to change interconnects, speaker cables and everything else in the signal chain... (what a hobby, eh?)

I started my audiophile journey with a solid state amp and quickly moved to a Decware Torii. It did so many things right, but it still felt lacking. Especially in the bass. I have since moved on to Pass Labs 30.8. 

The 30.8 was everything my tubes were and more. The tube amp was definitely fun to tinker with and look at. Great conversation piece. But when it comes to sound the Pass was better in every single way. 

I still use tubes, but now in a BAT PREAMP. Best of both worlds!

The KT88 120 150 are for losers, real audiophiles have 2a3 300B 845 etc SETs.

Hi , I am currently running a Schiit Bifrost into a Rogue RP-1 with NOS Telefunken Tecktronix to a Dennis Had Inspire KT-88. My speakers are Zu Omens . I use Anti-Cable interconnects and speaker cables, with a Cardas Clear USB. Silnote power cables with a power filter and a sub. My Omens are on spiked blocks like Mapleshades . I purchased 6 pairs of new production and NOS power tubes . 6 NOS driver tubes . I have 1 new and 4 NOS rectifier tubes . I think I have more in tubes than the amp cost . Depending on the tube combo, power  is 8-12 WPC. I love the system , but more importantly, it's been a blast to experiment with cables, speaker placement and tube roll . This coming year I'm considering Bob Latino M125 kits and a higher level Schiit Dac. I have a pair of mint JBL 4312a's , Sound Anchor stands and a nice pair of Knipsch Heresys in the closet .  Long term I'm looking at REL or JL subs and Emerald Physics open baffle speakers . Schiit has a couple cheap preamps for consideration and my Bifrost Uber Analog  DACChas served me well . My friend is a former Rogue/ Mod Wright/ Parasound/ Acoustic Zen/ Dalhi dealer . All great gear , and his house is full of it . But expensive for my modest lifestyle . I was brought up on Dynaco and enjoy point to point amps . The Had Inspire has a modest price and is the best 12 watts I've heard on a budget . The Prima Luna is very popular , and you have Upscale Audio to help. But I haven't had one .  Well that's my 2 cents . YOU WILL HAVE FUN ! Happy listening , Mike B.

Here's another vote for Quicksilver.  Any of their monoblocks will work ... you might even try the horn monos with  your very efficient speakers.  They're as uncolored as solid state, but with all the palpability and liquidity that makes tubes special.

Wolfie, as an unabashed Vandy and Atma-Sphere fanboy, I understand your frustration. Hopefully, the saying 'no good deed goes unrewarded', will be applied to you. ( Me too ;)...).
B

No…I'm deeply, deeply ashamed…although I've mentioned Jolida amps exactly 10,412 times in these forums and all it's engendered is scorn and derision…and no free stuff from Jolida.

@wolf_garcia 
Don't be ashamed for being a fanboy. When we hear what we like, it is only natural to share the enthusiasm.
And, yes, those glowing tubes do make us more interesting. ;)
B

I'm not going to mention the excellent Jolida tube amps again as it simply makes me look like too much of a fanboy. However, like I've said before, tube amps make you personally seem more interesting regardless of whether you actually are.

We had a set of ZU Druids here for quite a while. It seems that all of the ZU lineup is tube friendly, and they are also fairly efficient, so you don't need a crazy amount of power.

If I had to guess my impression of the speaker is that its actual efficiency was a few db lower; more like about 97-98 db. They really seemed to benefit from some power, so we used them with our M-60s. They will make on special request, a 30-ohm version of the Definition, which works nicely with lower powered amps.

@aberyclark, the Primaluna Prologue is decent although the bass is a bit too loose for my tastes.  I thought the autobias feature while convenient is a bit gimmicky.  I prefer manual biasing.  The newer Jolidas are nice, don't overlook them due to posts from the past about QC.  I have a Jolida 3502 and it is simply superb.  Bettered the Primaluna in every way and I have owned it for a year without issues.  As others have said, Quicksilver amps are also really nice for the money.

I meant Mid Monos.....damn spellcheck 

I agree with others who say Quicksilver......great amps and more importantly some of the best support in the business.....

I have a pair of Middle Monos and love them,  huge performance for the money.   Super reliable and tough too,  I had a driver tube short out, it took the input tube along with it.....called Mike before doing anything and he said it was probably limited to the tubes and he was right.  Didn't even blow the main fuse .  Replaced the tubes and all was well.   Rock solid build quality,  huge bang for the buck

I actually wrote Sean a while back. He stated, unlike the Soul's, the Omen Defs are good with pretty much anything you throw at it SS or tube. I was using a Pioneer Elite AV receiver when I first got the Defs ( I had 5.1 at one point at the house before) and they sounded great. Same with my current B&K

I would call Sean - he will have multiple recommendations.

Rogue Sphinx integrated is exactly in your price range (1299.00 without remote).  It's a hybrid (tube pre-/SS amp) that puts out 100 WPC into your 8 ohm speakers.  The only question is whether the hybrid sound is "tubey" enough for you at this stage.

You  might consider the Coincident Dynamo 34SE MKII. The price is right, the company has a great reputation, and the reviews are excellent. I run my Zu Def4s with a 300b SET and like the combination.

Thanks for info. I checked out the Mini Mites a few years back. Too bad they are discontinued. My budget is approx $1300. I looked at Jolida and their quality control seems to have issues from what I see on many forums. Rouge is a little out of my price range. The cheaper Decwares seem to be a bit power shy with only 2 or 6 watts.