2. amps-preamps
  3. 1221604868

Powerful Tube Amp for SF Strads?

I am looking for recommendations for a powerful tube amp for my Strads. A powerful tube amp which truly excels at palpability, musicality but also has very good bass control (though bass control is not as 'mission critical' to me as palpability).

My current amp (see below) sounds great to my ears!...but runs out of steam much too soon.

My system today:

Zanden 5000S DAC
CJ Act 2
CJ MV60 (EL 34 tube)
SF Strads (4ohms, 92db sensitivity though impedence does dip to 2.5ohms)
Velodyne DD-18 (run in parallel)
Transparent Ref/Ref XL cabling throughout
Purist Audio Dominus PC

In addition to recommendations, any thoughts are welcome on Wavac, Audio Note, Zanden, VTL, CJ LP275...or monoblocking MV60 (EL34)? Thanks!

Lloydelee21
lloydelee21

Showing 2 responses by microstrip

microstrip
180 posts
 
I have owned the Stardivarius for sometime and I could not find a tube amplifier that mated well with them. Although they sounded nice with tubes, after you hear the scale and dynamics of these speakers with a good power amplifier such as a Krell FPB700 or a cj Premier 350 you find you regret what you are missing with tubes.
Since you have an ACT2 I would suggest a Premier 350 - they can be found at nice prices at audiogon. Also consider factory upgrading your ACT2 to series 2 - it is expensive, but worthwhile. The new preamp is more musical and is even more spatial than the previous one and will match perfectly with the Stradivarius.
microstrip
180 posts
 
Lloyd,
I understand you. But you are in trouble ... Gryphons is fantastic gear but does not have the fullness of tubes in my opinion. There is a way of making the premier 350 much fuller and more tube like - using the ART preamplifier, unhappily very expensive and nowadays difficult to get.
BTW, I only owned an ART series 2, never listened to a series 3.
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