I went looking for a tube power amp a few months ago and found that the least expensive (by far) option that made sense to me ...new anyway...is Jolida. Period. Bought the newest version of the JD502P via Rick at Audioforce (nice guy, great deal), got the factory mods (warranty...you get a warranty!), and off I went having no idea what it would sound like in my system. Wow. I've become a fledgling tube monger. The amp is a quiet powerhouse of tubey fun, it's well made, looks killer, sounds really sweet without being too greasy, and cost less than my cables. A lot less. A slammin' 60 tube watts per side, and if you need more you can buy 2 and bridge 'em for 120 watts or something, and still be in cheapskate land.
Looking for best $1000 tube power amp
Hi everyone,
I'm completely new to the speaker world and speaker amps as well. That said, I'm looking for a tube power amp.
New or Used
Other components: MHDT Havana (NOS Tube DAC), Decware CSP2 Tube Pre-Amp (I can nix this and add $1000 to the budget for both a Pre AND power or integrated; not preferred though since I like its HP amp.)
Price range: $1000 for only power amp($2000 *ONLY* if there's a massive, NOT merely incremental upgrade in that range)
If nixing the CSP2 pre-amp, $2000 for Pre AND power, $3k if there's a massive upgrade.
Favored sound: Musicality, euphony, emotional involvement. Lushness, smoothness, whatever you'd think of when you hear the word tubes. I could honestly give a rat's ass about accuracy.
Setup: Small rooms, 1200cu ft. Plan to play at moderately high volumes (-15dB to -10dB from reference)
Speakers: Do not have yet; most in consideration are bookshelf 8ohm and at the least sensitive, 85.5db. That said, I'd prefer a amp with wide compatibility unless if it comes at a cost of worse SQ or inability to play at decent volume.
Thanks guys!
I'm completely new to the speaker world and speaker amps as well. That said, I'm looking for a tube power amp.
New or Used
Other components: MHDT Havana (NOS Tube DAC), Decware CSP2 Tube Pre-Amp (I can nix this and add $1000 to the budget for both a Pre AND power or integrated; not preferred though since I like its HP amp.)
Price range: $1000 for only power amp($2000 *ONLY* if there's a massive, NOT merely incremental upgrade in that range)
If nixing the CSP2 pre-amp, $2000 for Pre AND power, $3k if there's a massive upgrade.
Favored sound: Musicality, euphony, emotional involvement. Lushness, smoothness, whatever you'd think of when you hear the word tubes. I could honestly give a rat's ass about accuracy.
Setup: Small rooms, 1200cu ft. Plan to play at moderately high volumes (-15dB to -10dB from reference)
Speakers: Do not have yet; most in consideration are bookshelf 8ohm and at the least sensitive, 85.5db. That said, I'd prefer a amp with wide compatibility unless if it comes at a cost of worse SQ or inability to play at decent volume.
Thanks guys!