New to Integrated stereo tube amps


After decades of listening to and owning solid state amps I recently decided (March, 2021) to jump into the tube amp experience.  Owned are SS units made in the 70s and 80s, and examples include the Sony STR V-15, 45 and 55 units as well as a Pioneer SX-D7000 and Kenwood KR-9600 receivers.  They are very much in play in different areas of the house and are enjoyed routinely, except for the Sony V45 where the FM tuner crashed... last year!.  They're all original and a testament to build quality and audio engineering design of that era.  Since these are old school (by anyone's standard) it was way past time to modernize/upgrade just a bit. Note that the 40 year old speakers with some of these look and play as fine today as when brand new.   Love the classic gear.

So, 40 years later...yes, I've been out of the market for that long and deciding what to go with was not as simple as I first thought it would be, long gone are the subscriptions to Stereo Review and Audio mags, and online reviews can be challenging to cipher on.  I thought adding one more opinion to the mix might be a good thing.

What I discovered were all new names to me;  companies like Willsenton, Muzishare, Reisong, Prima Luna, PS Audio, Schiit Audio, etc. and some of the offerings were hybrid SS/Tube design.  What I settled on was Raven Audio and their Blackhawk 3.1  20 watt offering.  What I like about them is their USA designed and fabbed product, their quality controlled mfg. environment, the principals answered the phones when I called, they returned calls and offered insight that I expect might be available to me in overseas products.  Who in China is going to speak with me when I have a question or an issue to resolve? Not so with the Texans.

My experience has been very positive and I have really upped the game when it comes to component and sound definition (I purchased the CeLest Speaker set as well).  The Blackhawk is my go to, it's such a simple amp, has no EQ to fuss with and fills a 32 x 18 x 8 room with very satisfying bass, mids and highs where I find  new details in music that I've never heard before.  In fact this system is so good it stopped my 18 yo kid in his tracks one day.  The soundstage is wide, there is depth and there is detail.  I call it 3D sound and still can't believe this is from a tube amp with 2 speakers. 

Yes it was quite the investment and I believe it was a very good decision.  I would make the same call if I had to do it over again.  I'm a tube amp convert and a Raven fan, and I hope my 2 cents provides just a bit of insight. 

I'm new to the forum here, wish I had found the site earlier this year.  Lots of valuable info here...if you have any questions about my experience just shout.


joeyga

Showing 4 responses by joeyga

@shtinkydog I did not actually demo the amp.  Back in the day we had Stereo Village, a local Atlanta store where you could walk in, demo anything and everything offered in the market via their sound rooms.   I miss that wide variety...the golden days of audio gear.  I settled on the Raven due to their confidence in product and watching many you tube reviews on lots of tube amps.  

@millercarbonThank you for the kind words.  For me this was a 3 month research project and I almost pulled on the Prima Luna with Tekton Double Impacts.  So glad I did not.  Best listening to you on the new Raven gear, it's the real deal and I already know you'll love it!

@three_easy_payments I'm unsure regarding the power tubes, a quick call to James, Dave or Bryant at Raven will confirm this for you.  I trust the Raven engineering to have built the amp around a solid power tube spec.  Mine are Tung Sol 7581A, an upgraded version of the 6L6.  They are balanced finely and smooth like Skippy in the headroom department.

@ironhead Well said sir.  I agree the detail is incredible.  As I said prior it stopped my 18 yo in his tracks, what I didn't say is that he is a skilled musician (piano and percussion) and has true perfect pitch hearing. I knew right then this was the correct buy.
I think what kept me from going with Prima Luna was the overseas manufacturing, I like to support American made with quality and was not sure regarding future interaction with them.  That said I seriously considered the EVO 300 and think they look great with the cage as protective measure for the tubes.  However there were used  PLs I found for sale, ebay, etc. where I could not find any used  Raven gear at that time.  I watched many of Kevin Deal's videos during my search and he comes off a a very knowledgeable guy.

I was very close in considering the Tekton Doubles as well, another great American made product, and I may add in a set to replace those old Acculab 440s in my Pioneer system.  I like the Tekton line, but had an opportunity to bring in the excellent CeLest' model.  Simply put, I love these speakers, and with the Nighthawk sound so good.  The Acculabs I can listen to for maybe 2 hours, then I'm done.  The CeLest I can listen to for extended periods, 4-5 hours they ae still pleasing to my hearing.

The CeLest were received about 3 weeks prior to the amp, so were unboxed immediately and plugged into the Pioneer set.  Looking at them they are wonderfully made, beautiful finish but looked kind of small for a tower;  therefore I was initially a bit worried, perhaps I made a mistake and should have popped on the Tektons?  They were run around the clock at low volume for 2 -3 weeks straight and after that at higher volume...and sounded fantastic.  Even better with the amp after receipt.

On a side note I use Schitt Mani for my phono pre-amps, and spin much vinyl on 40 year old turntables.  You guys will have to school me on the DAC, what it does, why I need one...what do you guys recommend?
Guys for a review of the Raven CeLest' speaker set see my first post over on Steve Hoffman.  I will try to get that posted here as well, seems like this forum is much more active.  Thanks to all of you for chiming in, hope to keep learning as I get back into this hobby.  What DAC do you recommend for a tube setup? Is streaming with blue tooth sufficient or minimal in your opinion?
@ghasley 

Thanks for that. intel. Got it.  I use blue tooth with the Raven but mainly spin vinyl as the source.  On my outdoor system I use BT as well and it seems sufficient enough (Sirius/Amazon) on (4) Polk Audio  Atrium 7s.  There is also a 300+ CD player for outdoor, turntable, etc.  These run on Pioneer 120w receiver.

For DACs considering Schiit Gumby, PS Audio Gain Cell, and the RME ADI-2.  Anything comparable that I should check out?