Check out Quicksilver Audio, they are sure to have something to meet your needs on both the amp and preamp, Carved also has a pair of mono block, 75 watt amps that look to be a steel at around $2,700.00. I personally replaced a pair of VTL 125 monos that were 20 years old with a pair of the QS m120s at 1/2 the price and love them. Enjoy the music.
Need Some Tube Amp Advice
I am looking for advice on a tube amp and preamp setup that isn't outrageously expensive but best bang for the buck. I have a pair of Klipsch Cornwalls from the 80' and they sound rich and beautiful however I know they can reproduce better results if I get rid of my 100wpc Yamaha solid state amp! I love jazz and vocal music mainly with some rock and roll mixed in. I listen to almost exclusively vinyl on either my B&O TX turntable or my Yamaha PX-3 turntable.
As I understand I can customize the tube amp to more of what I prefer but really know nothing. Please help!
As I understand I can customize the tube amp to more of what I prefer but really know nothing. Please help!
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You might be better off with getting an integrated amp. Check out this Rogue Audio integrated, it includes a phono section. It should fit the bill! https://www.needledoctor.com/Rogue-Audio-Cronus-Magnum-III-Integrated-Amp |
What's your budget? The Cornwalls are pretty tube-friendly. You don't need a lot of power so this is all about nuance. Smaller tube amps often have more bandwidth (although because our amps are output transformerless this doesn't apply to our amps) which allows them to be more spacious. If you decide to go with an SET (Single Ended Triode) amplifier, keep in mind that whatever power the amp is rated, you will not want to exceed about 20% of that power in order to get the most out of that amp. With push-pull amps this isn't true- they typically have a much wider 'usable power' range (SETs are typically 10% distortion at full power; to keep that down and hear what they are really about you need to stick to that 20% rule). A push-pull amp that will do the job on a speaker with this sort of efficiency need only make about 15-30 watts. A lot depends on room size and how lively it is! Because of the lower power requirements, a triode amplifier is nice (and there are triode amps that are push-pull). If you get this right you'll be hearing things in the music you didn't know were there and overall the system will also play in a more relaxed effortless manner. One thing to keep in mind- its not so much about money as it is about nuance. There are good inexpensive amps and there are good expensive amps, along with their opposites. Are you planning monoblocks or a stereo amp? Balanced or single-ended connections? How big is your room and how lively is it? These are things that will help people here be able to help you more. |
I live in a loft space with 15 foot ceilings in downtown Miami! Basically a cement rectangle with polished cement floors! Its 900+ sf and I have an 8'X 10 foot oriental carpet running down the length of the apartment as well as a 4X6 foot in front of the system! So to say the room is lively its an understatement! But at one end of the rectangle is my bed which offers no return off the wall. |
I have a pair of 40w Quicksilver Mid Monos.... they are great amps!!!! Dead silent ,sound excellent with EL34 or 6l6 type , built like a tank. Mine are a little over 5 years old and have been rock solid reliable. I have had a few tube failures and either nothing happened or the fuse blew as it should with no damage. I have had several tube amps in the past and these are my favorite. I’m running a pair of Heresy III and it is a perfect match. |
@mbd3 Given your space issues I think you'll be grateful for the reduced harshness a tube amp brings to the mix. Harshness and hard surfaces can be pretty painful! I'm thinking that you'll want something that is about 30 watts or so since the room is rather large. With that kind of power, IMO/IME SETs are pretty much out of the question as the more powerful you make an SET, the less bandwidth you have. So a mid to lower power push-pull amp is where I would start. What sort of budget do you have? |
I saw a review of the Luxman EL84 integrated on youtube mentioned above and the fellow said paired w/Forte III's it was the best amp combo he'd heard. I think the Music Reference RM10 for sale here for a mere 1200 would be great and dead quiet as well. I also agree w/Ralph a triode push pull less than 50 wpc would be the way to go something like Cary Rocket 88 or SLI-80 or Cayin or....have fun that's going to be a great sounding setup! |
The Manleys good choice. A Primaluna (new or used) integrated comes with a remote, The remotes have a mute button as well. A remote controller is a beautiful thing. Primaluna Pre amps have remotes to. Given your room I’m not sure if you would hear a big difference with a pre and monos. BUT pre/monos are cool and the visual joy can’t be denied. Klipsch Cornwalls are lovely. Investing In good connects will help your new amplification set up too. |
Also consider if you want to bias or get a self biasing Amp(S). And please check out Rogers high fidelity. Beautiful Amps http://rogershighfidelity.com Will you want to headphones? Not all rigs have a jack. |
Check out Stephen Monte’s SQ-88 integrated amp. Under $1800 He is a tube guy through and through with several designs in his line and developed a line of H.E speakers to go with this tube amps. The SQ-88 is tube roller friendly (el34, 6550 & kt88) with no bias fusing. Powerful 55 wpc yet all about tube sound. I have his SQ-84v2 (6v6gt 15 wpc.) integrated and it is outright beautiful to listen to on my Vandersteen 1Ci. https://www.questforsound.com/amps/amps_sq88.htm |
I can tell you without reservation , Jolida Audio has taken a Dramatic step forwards in high quality, superb design and value with their New line now called Black ice Audio .Long time Designer Jim Fosgate has designed their excellent new preamplifier as well as amps .I own the Black ice F35 and it is excellent .and one of the best looking amplifiers out there,great meter bias setup,and a fully balanced differential tube design for under $2k it will easily compete with anything 2 x the cost . I owned a Audiostore for years and know performance,value.it is Excellent. |