I'd try a PrimaLuna integrated with EL-34s or Gold Lyon KT88s.
Tube amp for falcon ls35a gold badge
hey there.
I've recently purchased a pair of falcon ls35a's. heard good stuff about tube amps (never had one), and thought that i might try and get my first.
would like to get recommendations about what amps works the best with those speakers.
i mostly listen to vocals - male and females, singer-songwriters, folk, country, blues and instrumental.
from the bit research i've already done, most people recommend el 84 and 34 amps, line magnetic amps, and sudgen (i know its SS).
thanks!
I've recently purchased a pair of falcon ls35a's. heard good stuff about tube amps (never had one), and thought that i might try and get my first.
would like to get recommendations about what amps works the best with those speakers.
i mostly listen to vocals - male and females, singer-songwriters, folk, country, blues and instrumental.
from the bit research i've already done, most people recommend el 84 and 34 amps, line magnetic amps, and sudgen (i know its SS).
thanks!
12 responses Add your response
@dehuky, Congratulations on acquiring the the Falcon LS/5a speakers. 1 what are the dimensions of your room? 2 what are your typical listening levels? 3 is there a budget ceiling? I do believe that a good quality tube amplifier would match really well with your speakers and given your music preference provide a very natural/organic presentation. A good push-pull el 84 or el34 amplifier is a good choice. I would however also suggest you seriously consider the Atma-Sphere S-30 or their M-60 mono blocks. These would pair beautifully with your 15 ohm speakers. I believe that you’d experience exceptional vocal and instrumental tone/timbreclarity. Best of luck, Charles |
Recent Tube convert myself. Well not a full convert, I still have and love my Simaudio W3. Anyway I’ve always been curious about the tube sound so I picked up a Willsenton R8 with KT88 tubes and it’s been simply incredible. I’m a huge skeptic, I figured it would sound pretty good but never thought 25 watts (in triode) would be enough. I paired it with my Dynaudio Contour 1.1s and the synergy is terrific. And they are not sensitive speakers (86db). The resale prices are so good on the R8 I figured I could try it out and sell it for near purchase price, but I don’t think I’ll ever sell this amp. I can’t wait to try tube rolling. One caveat though, while I fully recommend the R8, its the only tube amp I’ve owned and the only other tube amp I’ve heard was a Prima Luna HP so I have very limited experience with tubes. They might all sound amazing. 2 for 2 at least in my experience. My next piece of gear will probably be a tube pre for the W3. |
@charles1dad hey, i listen nearfield (those are nearfield speakers). i typically enjot listening at non-high volumes, but sometimes i feel that i need to push the vilume up in order to get more out of my correct setup. an amp that will make the ls3's shine even with loew volume will be great! has anyone heard of that product? https://www.china-hifi-audio.com/en/raphaelite-audio-tube-amplifier-c-73/raphaelite-dp34-ls35a-for-l... |
@dahuky, I don’t know a whole lot about that particular brand other than they are said to manufacture good quality transformers/chokes.If you are interested in reasonably priced Chinese amplifiers the following have established pretty solid reputations. Line Magnetic Melody Jolida Antique Sound Labs Opera-Consoance Cayin Yaqin You can find in all of these brands the popular push-pull class A/B using el 34, KT 88 etc. Charles |
to @charles1dad ’s point, looks like op is looking at lower end ’value’ tube amps (which can sound quite nice, so no value judgement on that) if this is the course needed, i would strongly suggest buying a jolida/black ice from wally or from a reputable us-based retailer - it is a china sourced amp but at least wally will stand behind it issue with direct-buy chi-fi tube amps of course is the lack of stateside service and followup if needed, and the fact that this is not a 5 pound dac that can be easily reshipped in a little box to address any issues arising ...that willsenton r8 bought on ebay is a wonderful, screaming deal... until something isn't right and you need help... :) |
I heard a leak 230 with the ls35a at Axpona and it was fantastic. I think it’s SS. I had primaluna prologue 2 and loved it. The dialog series has too many tubes and is costly to replace but I hear great things about them and Raven audio. all the best with your search. I’m interested in what you learn. My taste in music is very similar to yours. |
