2. amps-preamps
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Quicksilver V4 or Silver 88 advice needed.....

I've compared an older first generation Quicksilver V4 (green LED power switch) and a Quicksilver Silver 70 (blue Led) and am looking to get the best of both worlds....

1. Love the drive and bottom end on the older V4...the drive is simply amazing with my Vandersteen 2ce Sig II speakers.

2. Love the midrange on the Silver 70. It's liquid 3-D.

What combines these two?

....the newer Quicksilver V4 (blue led with newer transformer) or the Silver 88?

Any advice appreciated from the experts out there! Thank you in advance.

Best
Theron
Baltimore
128x128theron_day

Showing 6 responses by pubul57

pubul57
3,712 posts
 
I agree with John. When you say "2.0 for now" does that mean you might at the subs later? Or is that just out of the question? It is hard to argue with 4 output tubes when they provide enough power for a particular speaker - 80 watts seems like alot of power to me, if the amp has enough current to drive impedance dips into the 4 ohm range, an issue with most tube amps. Not sure anyone on the planet knows more about Quicksilver/Vandersteen than John (Audio Connection).
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
Not having heard the Silver 88, but just read the description on his site, it would seem that if the 88s do have the lowest about impedance (higest damping)that the 88s should give you controlled bass (for a tube amp)with a lot of purity that comes from the simpler output stage. There is something to fewer tubes making for better sound IF you can get enough power, and I think 80 watts of tube power is plenty of power for your application, I doubt you could hear any meaningful difference between 80 and 120 watts.
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
Yes you can us the KT90. The GL KT88 reissuses are excellent tubes IMHO.
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
I agree with you about MS and his tube matching. But one fella that is peerless at tube matching is Roger Modjeski of RAM Labs, who happens to now offer the Genalex KT88 Reissues and there is no question they are superior tubes to the Chineese/Russian tubes Mike carries. In both cases you will get very well tested and matched tubes, but I think the Genalex is simply a superior tube to any other current production KT88.
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
Was that for KT88s? If so, what did Roger recommend? His "NOS" Russians?
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
Well, it is worth trying at least, and if Roger tests them you can have faith they have been very well matched. I used them and thought they sounded really good (not in a QS amp though) and the EL84s are excellent in the Music Reference RM10 and recommended by both Roger and Jim McShane (bought a quad from both). But I guess we are getting a bit off track. I had not heard of the Silver 88s and they seem like a very interesting pair of amps, I definitely like the idea of two tubes per channel...
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