Reproduction of acoustic instruments with tube amp


I'm a "SS guy" looking to get a tube amp to play with. My biggest complaint with the tube amps that I have heard is that acoustic instruments don't sound real to me. Is this a common perception or have I just not heard a good tube amp? What design and/or type of output tubes should I look for if I want good reproduction of acoustic instruments? Any links to some docs on this topic would be appreciated as well. My budget is under $2k, speakers are 4ohm, 87dB but I don't need a lot of power (apartment). Thanks.
dburdick

Showing 1 response by esoxhntr

Some things to think about:
1. Your Plinius is a good amp - you might want to consider putting a tube pe amp in front of it. Both BAT or Blue Circle (BC3) would be good choices.
2. I am not familiar with your CD player, but it is also a likely suspect. After all, is it the most direct link to the source of the music. You might want to consider upgrading it or experimenting with an outboard DAC.
3. You did not mention your power cords, speaker cable, or interconnects. If you are using inexpensive models of these it might be time to consider putting some cash into this part of your system. Experimentation with cords and cabling can yield remarkable results.

Don't be too quick to blame your Plinius, it is a worthy piece of equipment, and may just need to be to be a bit "better fed".