I might be worth your while to look into Cayin or VAS tubes. I own the cayin T88 (integrate) and the vas II's (mono blocks). The same company that makes the cayin and vas, also makes PrimaLuna. Cayin claims the T88 has the Mac 275 sound signature. But, who knows. The T88 has gotten good reviews and it has inputs that by pass the pre amp. You did not mention whether you have a tube pre-amp with a phono stage. If you don't I suggest you start there before getting a tube amp. Also, a cayin is a good value and easy to sell in the used market without a large loss. I suggest you 'roll' the amps, not the tubes.
PrimaLuna and AE Six Pacs
For the first time, I'm venturing away from solid state, most recently Sim gear, and making the move to tubes. I'm considering some of this new mail order gear. I haven't been able to audition any of it in person.
Can anyone comment on how the AE Six Pacs compare to the PrimaLuna gear, such as the 6 and 7 monoblocks? I've heard that the Six Pacs exhibit the more traditional tube sound while the PrimaLuna has more an SS feel, with greater accuracy, rhythm, timing, etc. Because I've only heard about three tube gear makers, I associate Mac gear with the "traditional" tube sound and Audio Research and Conrad Johnson as representing a more SS feel.
Beyond merely those considerations, could you claim that either the Six Pacs or PrimaLuna has a more refined sound, and is generally better? I was intrigued by the Prologue 6 monoblocks until I read in the latest TAS that the Dialogue 2 integrated is generally sonically superior to the Prologue 6 monos. Quite a claim given that one is an integrated while the other is mono amps. For their part, the Six Pacs are US hand made and triode, and cost about the same as both the Prologue monos and Dialogue 2, leading me to suspect that they are the better overall amp.
Don't suppose anyone has compared all of these?
Can anyone comment on how the AE Six Pacs compare to the PrimaLuna gear, such as the 6 and 7 monoblocks? I've heard that the Six Pacs exhibit the more traditional tube sound while the PrimaLuna has more an SS feel, with greater accuracy, rhythm, timing, etc. Because I've only heard about three tube gear makers, I associate Mac gear with the "traditional" tube sound and Audio Research and Conrad Johnson as representing a more SS feel.
Beyond merely those considerations, could you claim that either the Six Pacs or PrimaLuna has a more refined sound, and is generally better? I was intrigued by the Prologue 6 monoblocks until I read in the latest TAS that the Dialogue 2 integrated is generally sonically superior to the Prologue 6 monos. Quite a claim given that one is an integrated while the other is mono amps. For their part, the Six Pacs are US hand made and triode, and cost about the same as both the Prologue monos and Dialogue 2, leading me to suspect that they are the better overall amp.
Don't suppose anyone has compared all of these?
4 responses Add your response