Integrated Tube Amp approx. $2,500

Check out the Willseton amps on Amazon. Black Ice makes good products and if you buy from Underwood, you’ll have good dealer support if something goes wrong. I don’t know what the deal is on Willseton as far as service goes. If you are willing to consider SS, I would highly recommend the Heed Obelisk, which is a very smooth sounding SS amp. I would call Gene Rubin about the Heed if you’re interested. He might also have a used tube amp for a good price that he took in on trade. Gene has excellent customer service as well.

Allnic Integrated amps, a variety of pricing available, new or used.

This Quicksilver should fit the bill!

https://quicksilveraudio.com/products/integrated-amplifier/

Have a look at the Muzishare X7. I've had one for almost a year now, well built and sounds excellent. I had looked at the Willsenton but they had way too many issues, the X7 has been rock solid quality wise.

I would not look at any of the offshore offerings that do not have local service support in your market. Save your money and look at brands that have distribution and service support. 

@yogiboy  +1

I run the Quicksilver 20wpc integrated with a pair of vintage Klipsch Belles (104db @ 1 watt) and it's a very nice combination - I rarely have the volume knob past 10 o'clock.  Plus, Mike Sanders is a pleasure to deal with.  Both he and his company have been around for a while, so I would expect no dramas or future concerns.

I can second newfxz ‘s suggestion on the Muzishare X7. I owned one for a short time, and only sold it to move to a dedicated power amp. Great build quality and it’s  point to point wired which should offer better reliability and ease of repair by most competent shops if something does go wrong. I’m pretty sure these are built in the Line Magnetic factory.

The Wilsentons get a lot of great reviews, but I don’t have any direct experience with them. Well under your budget.

Rogers 65V-2 Integrated Tube Amplifier. If you call you get for less than the eBay listing price. Rogers High Fidelity integrated Amps are the real deal.

With those Cornwalls look at Decware, a nice range of tube amps with great sound.  Long wait to get new but on the used market they pop up regularly

The Willsenton R8 with tube upgrade would fit within your budget. Ordered via Amazon, you would have their return policy benefit. That amp will deliver 45W per channel at 8R, and the performance is very good. You might be able to find a used Prima Luna in your price range with a little looking around. Other options might be a used Audio Research i/50 or Margules i240, both of which would be excellent choices but would cost you another $1500 or so.

Another vote for the Muzishare X7. I have had mine about a year...was blown away and didnt expect the sound I received. Rolled a few tubes...even better. The never satisfied person that I am....I wanted more..so I found a local tech that does mostly mac's and highend tube repairs..asked about doing a cap upgrade ....which he did...upon opening up...he was very impressed with the build quality.

the Vincent Audio SV237 hybrid

Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum can be had used in your price range. 

Do you really need an integrated?  Many people don't. I use my DAC as my pre and VC when I don't have my Transformer VC.  I do have 2 inputs to my amp so I can also use it with HT.  

If you don't really need an integrated, a simple point to point amp like the $1200 Decware SE84UFO will blow away any of the other amps you are looking at and is plenty of power for those horns.

Aric and Apollo also make great amps.

Jerry

We sell line magnetic they have a great sounding 100watt integrated for 5k we have a demo for way less they have USservice and support great features and built.like a tank

Dave and Troy 

Audio intellect nj

Line magnetic dealer

Not sure how comfortable you are with used gear but there are tons of good used tubed integrated in your price range.

https://www.usaudiomart.com/classifieds/55-tube-integrated-amplifiers/

If you’re looking for a more neutral sounding tube integrated this Octave V40SE if still available is excellent and well worth a look.  Best of luck. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/226058312309

You know, you don't want to go too cheap on a tube amp. I would want something you can get serviced in the USA. The Prima Luna 100 is near your budget. You also want to be able to afford tube replacement when the time comes. The Prima Luna would work very well with your Cornwalls, plenty of power. For your first try at a tube amp you want one that will have no issues. Then you get try other things.

I do have to say I heard the line magnetic at my local hifi shop (Northern Audio in Pittsburgh). Not sure what model but damn does it sing!

I bought the line magnetic tubed CD player from NA and love it! Super well built.

I’m by no means an audiophile expert and have a modest system but I have no problems recommending the Black Ice integrated. When I decided to dip my toes in the tube waters, I bought a Jolida Fusion 6802 which is the predecessor to the FX22. I’m running it with EL34 power tubes. I’ve had It five years with no problems. Although I have loaded it with NOS tubes. I’m very happy with it and have no desire to move away from tubes.

Cary Audio Design SLI-80

Rogue Audio Pharaoh II (hybrid) can be found  used for $2.5K

I’m currently using a Black Ice Audio F35 to drive my Dali Helicon 800 towers.  The 800s are only 87db efficient and the KT88 output tubes provide 85 watt output. The F35 replaced separate amp/preamp at 3 times the cost and compares well.  
 

For as efficient as your Cornwalls are I would think the F22 would be more than adequate.   
 

If you could find a used F35 that would be your best value, or even a used F22.  But the F22 is available today.   
 

I’ve been very impressed with Black Ice Audio.  

Few people recommending the Willsenton R8, I think its a good amp but not for Klipsch speakers. The Cornwall’s are too efficient for the R8 IMO. You’ll have very little volume range and the remote is too sensitive and is basically useless for the hi efficiency speaker group, just moves too fast to be useful.

Friend drives his Cornwalls with an el-kit 300b amp thast really stunning. For the money its fantastic and well within your burdget including a building service as they come as kits.

another recommended the Decware amps if you can get one they are also great amps.

Finale audio /triode labs used would be fantastic and end game amps. similarly the frankenstine 300b amp.

I second the Willsenton R8. You can buy, sometimes, direct on line, I bought mine as an open box for under 1k delivered. Many option with tube rolling (of course), and operation mode, and simple bias adjust. This was my first "quality" tube amp, There's no reason you can't grow along with this amp. I believe The British Audiophile has an R8 in his stable.

I have the Wilsenton R8 in my living room. It’s been in use roughly two years with zero issues driving my old Dahlquist D30’s and a sub. No noise, original tubes and sounds amazing. A lot of times while listening I forget its price point as I just get lost in the music! 

Not sure how many hundreds you're willing to give, but I second the vote for a Cronus Magnum by Rogue Audio. 

Elekit, TU-8600S 300b Power Amp - nothing better and I see one on the "other site" actually connected to what I believe are Klipsch Cornwalls. This amp always gets incredible reviews.

Skunkie Designs Electronics did an extensive series of tear downs and reviews on both the Willsenton R8 and the Muzishare X7 over a period of months. It seems Willsenton took some of her feedback to heart and changed a few things in their circuitry to make it better as she suggested.

Here is a link to one of her videos. But note that there were other ones later where she applauded Willsenton for upgrading their design for safety.

Even so, while she liked both of these at the end of the day (after mods) she stated that well, nothing in life is free, and the quality of the transformers on tube amps means about as much as the quality of the tubes. Neither one of these is a "giant killer", but they are nice at their price points. Many people have bought them and enjoy them. 

https://youtu.be/fjGefU2qB-0

Oops - integrated, sorry, Elekit is a power amp... nevermind.

You own a pair of Klipsch speakers which tells me that you like rock. Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum would probably rock out with Ks. It’s an honest well-priced product to boot. 

Look into a Dennis Had Inspire.  Dennis founded Cary Audio, retired and now hand builds small SET/SEP amps and pre-amps out of a small shop in Cary, NC. He sells them through ebay under radioman731.  They pop up every now and then, currently he has a NOS 807 SEP amp for $2,800 and a 6V6 preamp for sale.
 

He built my KT-88 with a volume pot so no preamp required.  If your DAC has a preamp volume function you can use that too. The KT-88 drive my Forte III terrific. Superb soundstage and tonality.  Plenty of juice to drive Cornwalls to reasonable SPL which have higher sensitivity than the Fortes. I park it in my bedroom rig now where it drives 90 dB Vienna Acoustics Bachs just fine. Sweet little speaker btw.
 

I concur the R8 @40 wpc too much for Cornwalls, plus it’s a PP, SET sounds much more real with Klipsch Heritage IMO. I park a Willsenton R800i 845 in front of the Klipsch now. At 20 wpc I have inserted an XLR 10 dB attenuator at the balanced input in order to have more volume pot range, but have never gone past 12 o’clock @80 dB peaks. 
 

Look up Lejonklou Boazu. It’s an amazing sounding integrated and the used price is exactly in your price range. It’s dead quiet so perfect for high efficiency speakers like your Cornwall, detailed and not fatiguing at the same time. It’s very minimalistic in design and features but it still has remote control. 

+1 on the Octave 40SE. 

If you only need an integrated for component switching and not a DAC or phono stage, I would go with a small builder like James Burgess.  Ask him to install a selector switch, shouldn't be  hard.  I just had a Burgess and it was a very very nice sounding amp.  Lot's of small builders, including Had, could probably get it done in your budget.

I’ve owned Line Magnetic (good, especially for the price), Raven Audio (quite a bit better SQ than LM) and Rogers High Fidelity (run away, run very far away).

I have a Black Ice tube DAC that I like a lot and is a bargain, so I can speak to their quality, value proposition and customer service (all great) but I have not heard their tube amps. 

In my systems, to my ears, the MOSFET-based Yamaha integrateds (especially the 2100 and 2200) outperformed all of the tube and hybrid integrateds I’ve owned, that includes the popular Rogue CMII and Pharaoh amps.

To my ears it has more of the tube strengths than most tube products I’ve heard/owned, without the typical drawbacks. 

The only tube amp I personally know of that gives them a run for the money (on balance) is the Cayin A88T. 
 

If you’re set on tubes, you might as well look for an integrated employing 300B tubes, since your speakers are quite efficient and don't do bottom octave bass anyway. 

I second looking at the Lejonklou Boazu. I think you could find a used Leben CS-300 on or close to your budget too. They have made a few different versions over the years because of tube availability. My preference would be the Leben.

I had not considered a solid state at all since I've really enjoyed the Cornwall IV pairing with tubes, but your suggestion @helomech regarding the Yamaha 1200-2200 intrigued me enough to put everything on hold and research them. 

I walked away from a fair a bit of research impressed with their capabilities, although somewhat concerned with how they might pair with the CW IVs, especially in the top end. 

That said, I found a 1200 that was essentially new, came with a 5 year factory warranty, and the ability to return within 30 days if I didn't like the pairing for only $2,100, so I decided to do the completely unexpected and purchased one. I know that had I not, I would always be curious, so at this point all I really have to lose is time. If it doesn't work out, I return it and resume my tube journey. 

@br3 

Yeah if it’s risk free then no good reason not to. I had an 1100 prior to my 2100 and enjoyed it for years. It paired pretty well with Heresy IIIs I owned at the time. The X200 series Yamahas are a little less “forward” than their predecessors so hopefully that will make for good synergy with your CWs. 
 

   Just for giggles check out ESP Hi-Fi Bar in Denver ( web site ), sorry for lack of a link. They run above your budget, but they’ve paired Line Magnetic with Klipsch.  And their pics are great eye candy. Might make you consider a used unit, but they do generate a good amount of heat. My son rented the place for his office party. I’ll leave out the shameless plug for his Realestate business . 😆 Cheers, Mike B. 

@buellrider97 The bar looks fantastic, and what a great idea. Live music is always fun, but this is a fabulous twist on how to present it in a way most people have never heard it. I've long ago quit the bar scene, but if this place was local I suspect I'd be hanging out there more often than I should.

The Line Magnetic products have been on my radar for a long time, and I frequently look for good deals on used amps. They do offer a few that are within my price range, and I would have pulled the trigger, but they were all 240v, whereas I need 120v (I did find the 210ia model for $2,500, with 120v, but it was 300b. I understand they may sound better, but I shied away from it due to the cost of 300b tubes. I may revisit that decision later).

During the course of this thread one person recommended the Yamaha A-S1200, 2100, a solid state alternative. I had never considered this, so out of curiosity I researched the product. To make a long story short, I was impressed with what I read so decided to purchase one. The amp was open box, so it was $900 off sticker price, but I still get a 5 year Yamaha warranty and I can return it within 30 days for any reason. I figured why not. If it doesn't mesh with my speakers I'll resume my tube journey.

I would be curious to know what you think about the Yamaha amp. Do share. Thanks

Yamaha is a pretty boring choice. Safe, accurate, flawless, but lacks musicality. 

 

Yamaha is a pretty boring choice. Safe, accurate, flawless, but lacks musicality.

Having owned some pretty well regarded SS amps known for their musicality, such as Pass, Coda, and Exposure, in addition to tube products from the likes of Bel Canto, Allnic, Cayin, Quicksilver, AVA, and Rogue, I have to disagree. That’s not to mention all the higher tier models and brands I’ve auditioned from Luxman, Aavik, Gryphon and so on.

The MOSFET based Yamaha integrateds that were introduced around 2014 are not remotely lacking in musicality. Quite the opposite in my experience, especially when paired with >$10K speakers. They are not powerhouses, but most “musical” SS amps are <100WPC IME. I would never consider going back to the Pass XA25 or Coda 8 over my Yamaha 2100. The 2100 does practically everything better in my system. With decent enough speakers, the Yamaha’s have a “lit from within” sound that is matched by very few SS components.

that's how I have heard Yamaha, my ears just didn't want me to like them

Need an update.

@br3 well, how is it??  did you go with the 1200 or the 2100?

that’s how I have heard Yamaha, my ears just didn’t want me to like them

The MOSFET transistor Yamahas have to go through a fairly lengthy break-in before they sound best. I didn’t believe in amp “break-in” prior to owning one. The difference between the first and ≈50th hour is drastic. They sound very different from Yamaha’s AVRs and considerably different from their BJT based integrateds.

@shtinkydog ​​​​@russ69 I received the A-S1200 yesterday and within two songs I knew I was going to keep it. I've put about 10 more listening hours in since then, and I haven't heard anything to change my mind. One of my biggest concerns was that it would be too forward, but I've found the presentation to fill the room more than pound my face. I think that the instrument seperation is really good, and they sound more realistic and clear than the tube amps I had been using (this may be because I haven't ventured into high-end tube amps yet). Obviously, it's not as warm as a tube amp, but it's not harsh at all. It's kind of like a tube amp in ultralinear mode, but better (I'm not quite sure how to explain it). I've read that the sound improves after approx 50 hours. If that's the case, then it's just icing on the cake. I couldn't of hoped for better thus far.