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List Of Small Company Tube Amps
I just love tube amps and I’m always wondering what small guy out there is making stellar amps under the radar. I’m only talking somewhat affordable gear, definitely under 10k new. More like 2-5k is what I’m thinking. I’ll start the list but I’m sure there are a ton that I’ll miss. Obviously feel free to express your preferences. Some of these might have international distribution but I feel they have a small enough presence in the US that they kind of count.
Decware, may not count any longer but one of the originals
Aric Audio
La Dolce Audio
Tomcat Audio
Lab 12
Octave
Audio Hungary
Space-tech Labs
Musical Paradise
Triode Labs
Fezz
Synthesis
Analog Ethos
Brunoco Audio
Audio Mirror, getting pricey though.
79 responses Add your response
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One of my favorite tube amp makers is Synthesis. They consistently make amps whose sound is WAY beyond one's expectation for the price. My two favorites of their lineup are the integrated amp/DAC combination--A 40 (twin KT66 tubes pwer channel) and the A 100 (four KT 66 per channel). I own custom tube gear made by a builder in Italy, Aldo D'Urso, who has made a dazzling array of gear--he builds his own DAC, phono stages, amps, linestages, field coil power supplies, Western Electric horn reproductions. For some gear he winds custom transformers. His originals and reproduction/rebuilds of Western Electric gear is amazing nice sounding. |
Raven Audio +1 USA out of Texas I have tried and owned the Black Hawk tested and owned Osprey for 5 years and now own a Reflection with Corvus Speakers and their cables and not one time disappointed with equipment and Dave Thomson sure knows how to select tubes to make these Amp sound beautiful. Highly recommend |
@ronrags for some reason I can't reply to your DM so I'm responding here instead. I love my Cronus Dark. It was not an upgrade from a non-dark version. I opted for the Dark because I didn't want to be constrained in speaker choices, and it hasn't disappointed. Currently driving a pair of Maggie 3.7s and to my ears, the system sounds amazing. But the major caveat is that I don't really have a point of comparison as this is my first system. I worked with Mike Hoatson at The Listening Room in Chestertown, MD, and he would be much more capable of articulating the benefits of the Dark versus the non-Dark in terms of sound. Good luck. |
+1 for @atmasphere and also Modwright Speaking from experience and owning both in separate systems I have . and certainly Ralph is one of the brightest guys and largest assets to the community here with his knowledge , experience and willingness to share both with all of us . |
@oldrooney That might be because we've been around for so long (46 years). IMO getting into this sport should be for fun and not to make money so we've always been a smaller company, which isn't the same as saying we didn't have an influence, for example we introduced the use of balanced lines to high end audio. ******************* At this point it should be pretty obvious there are more small manufacturers of tube equipment than there was in 1957... |
100%. I bought my T+A Integrated used from TMR just a few months ago and I reached out to T+A USA, gave them my serial # and asked where I could get local support if needed. I got a response within a few hours from Elliott and a personal intro via email to the local shop. I've communicated with Elliott since and I get treated like I'm the original owner. An example of top shelf support which I will happily pay for if needed. |
John Nouwens in South Africa https://jr-tubeaudio.com/ |
I don’t know if Coincident qualifies as small since it makes a complete range of audio components and is probably best known for its high efficiency speakers, but it sells direct to consumers (no dealers) and looked a bit like a one-man operation when I visited the Coincident room at an audio show years ago, with designer Israel Blume and his wife the only ones representing the brand. I remember it as the second best sounding room at that show, behind only the room with much more expensive Kaiser Kawero Classic speakers. Coincident makes two very reasonably priced tube amps for high efficiency speakers, the Frankenstein 300B stereo amp for $2,500 and the Dynamo 34SE MKIII integrated for $1800. Most of its other tube components cost less than $10K. |
In relation to the Spatial Labs Models produced by D, Sachs / L Olson, these Models are very rare in the fact their Design Concept to End Product is very well documented with rarely seen input from designers. This says a lot, and the growing interest / Waiting List says much more. Another Brand that is referred to in this thread, did take the same approach and in the Raven/ Blackbird Thread, doing their utmost to keep themselves prominent as a alternative Brand? |
@wsrrsw Glad you had a different experience. From the Rogers User Manual
Rogers High Fidelity is likely one of the few, if not the only authorized dealer left, so yes, it needs to go back to Roger for transfer. The fee is $500-$750 (depending on what day of the week it is) + shipping both ways, of course. |
@macg19 I had just the opposite experience with Rogers High Fidelity. I found Roger to be very nice to deal with. I called, worked out a deal and that’s was it. Having tried several other intergraded AMPs the Rogers the KWM-88 keeps on keeping on. When their AMPs are on ebay bay a call will save 13% and sending a check another 2%. Web site even says to all. After several years the amp was upgraded to run KT-170’s. More info on these fora. The lifetime warranty is for AMP’s purchased (new, demo or used) from Rogers. I don’t think lifetime warranty travels with AMP’s when re-sold. With efficient speakers the Don Sachs/Lynn Olson Blackbird mono blocks made by Spatial Audio Lab have a waiting list for a good reason. They are 300B Amps. Lamm Industries (requires winning the lottery) Oswalds Mill Audio (requires winning the lottery again)
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@atmasphere Shame you have to toot your own horn; I guess folks consider you ‘large.’ |
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@macg19 That is hideous behavior on their part - thanks for warning and bringing it to light! "Lifetime" warranties are only as good as the company offering them - which often isn't very good. I don't value a lifetime or transferrable warranty nearly as much as a company willing to reliably work on any of their products (especially if out of warranty or discontinued) for a reasonable charge. In fact, when I see a "lifetime" warranty being advertised, that just throws up red flags to me. VAC and Rogue have proven to me they're great companies to work with. |
Really surprised no one has included Black Ice Audio on this list. This is the 'inheritor' of the Jolida products, with some superb enhancements. I highly recommend the F65a and the F85a! USA Made too. Fusion 85A Integrated Tube Amplifier - 95wpc* (Made in Maryland) — BLACK ICE AUDIO |
@liquidsound I agree! Their rooms are always terrific. I have all Triode Wire Labs cables and they are excellent. Pete, Gary, and Greg are terrific guys.Border Patrol amps are on my 300b short list! |
@audionutjeff ++++++ on BorderPatrol Electronics ! I have Gary Dew's S20 Parallel SET 300-B amp/PSU's and his top of the line control preamp/PSU's. Very micro/macro dynamic and articulate. No slouch in the bass department ! Highly recommended ! You'll see his electronics at the CAF and Tampa Audio Expo with Volti speakers and Triode Labs cabling... That team gets high marks at nearly every audio show... |
+1 for Aric Audio. I own several of his projects, including his Transcend EL 34 "Push Pull" amp that is simply amazing; it is paired with Aric's Motherlode XL preamp. He is a great guy to deal with, builds exquisite equipment, and will add whatever upgrades you may want. He makes 7 amps of several different topologies, most for around $5,000. Can't recommend his gear high enough |
Octave Audio. https://www.octave.de/ |
Raven Audio meets and exceeds the OP’s criteria and they are really nice people to do business with. on the other hand… Roger High Fidelity is overpriced even at his 50% off eBay prices, and the lifetime “transferable” warranty is a joke. Transferring the warranty requires sending the amp back for recertification which incurs a bench charge, which is fine, until he sells one of his amps to your buyer instead, which he did to me, twice. Ironically one of those buyers hated the amp and put it up for sale within a few weeks. The $8500 I spent on the “demo” EHF MK2 was by far, the worst expenditure in my audio journey. |
This list is a very worthwhile endeavor. Here are two I'll add:
Supratek (Mick Maloney from Australia. See the "Preamp Deal of the Century" thread in "most popular of all time" tab on this forum) Alan Eaton Also, if it hasn't already been mentioned, the website "glowinthedarkaudio" has wonderful photos and descriptions of many of the boutique builders amplifiers. |
+2 for Dennis Had’s Inspire amps. He designs and hand builds KT-88’s, 300b with WE tubes, and more recently 2A3’s. $2k-$5k. Goes by radioman731 on ebay. If you can pick up locally in Cary, NC, he’ll buy you lunch, introduce you to a couple of his audio tubehead buddies and give you a tour of his workshop, The Toy Factory. Where I first saw a pair of open baffle speakers he built for his studio, they’re all the rage now. Superb low watt SE amps . Have one of his KT-88 Firebottle’s. He put a volume pot on it for me, so nothing between digital source signal and high efficiency speakers, very clean, super low noise floor, and layered soundstage. Also his former firm he founded, Cary Audio, most under $10k. Have one of their 1990’s 300b LX-20 I picked up used for $3k. Sent it to Cary for a shake down, replaced one burned up resistor. Great service, very quick and reasonably priced. The LX-20 is a SET that runs KR 300B XLS tubes to 20wpc, pretty amazing. Designed by Dennis. I’m obviously a fan of his work.
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