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Old or new gear

Greetings,

I am trying to buy my first tube amplifier. Budget is about $2500-3500. I am not very good at doing electrical work myself and do not intend to restore/repair/update the equipment myself. No time for another hobby. 

Looking to get something very reliable to use for years to come. I tend to keep my equipment for a long time, and do not upgrade things frequently. Trouble free listening is the goal. US made (or Japan or western Europe) would be really nice. Looked at Chinese models, but decided not to go that route, although there are many very good quality brands with great reviews. The top of the line Chinese units are not much cheaper than US made ones, through.

For that money, I am looking for something like quicksilver mid monos or decware MK4, brand new, both made in US, with good reviews as far as build quality and reliability goes.
.
Alternatively, there are amps here on Agon, such as CJ, Cary, VPI 299d, VTL de luxe 300,  VAC rebaissance 30/30 MK3, all used, about 10-15 years old, some in mint conditions with low hours, under or around 3K.

I am looking more for good sound and reliability than a specific amp type (pp vs SE) or output tube design.

Any advice? Again, not looking to resell but this is always a consideration as well (never know what the future holds). Main concern is quality and long term reliability.
Are there better transformers, caps, resistors etc... now than 10-15 years ago? Again, not looking to upgrade anything myself and do not have the time to spend in repair shops.

Thanks for your advice.


sophie999

Showing 3 responses by tubegroover

tubegroover
2,320 posts
 
Another plus for Quicksilver, i believe Mike Sanders has just about perfected the art and science behind tube transformer design. Great amplifier lineup from bottom to top. I have a pair of Silver 88s and i just love these amps. With the right speakers they are about as ideal as it gets. Check out the 20 watt integrated at 1995.00, wonderful with the right speaker. I heard with a pair of 12k ref 3a Reflectors, very impressive with those monitors that hide nothing. That integrated helped them totally disappear.
tubegroover
2,320 posts
 
Sophie999 in response to your query about the Quicksilver 1k pre or to further include the model with the remote at 1.5k both of which I have heard in familiar systems. While both would and should be considered good values, my enthusiasm for these pre-amps is not in the same realm as the amps. This should be taken in context to your budget.

I would definitely go the integrated route if budget were a primary consideration. No dis on the budget Quicksilver preamps but they really don’t hold a candle to the now discontinued full function pre or other preamp options IMHO. Furthermore, budget preamps that trancend their price point is an oxymoron in my experience. The better active preamps are necessarily more expensive than their budget AND lesser counterparts.
tubegroover
2,320 posts
 
Sophie999 the Odyssey Candela is nice and really so are the Quicksilvers, although i prefer the one without the remote  with the cavaet "for the money". For a bit more i would consider the  Conrad-Johnson classic 2 SE (upgraded teflon caps), definitely worth it. This model is recently discontinued but may be located at a discounted price. You can never go wrong with CJ, easy to resale and they hold their value, warm, transparent and always true to the music.  
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