Tube amp recommendation

FWIW if the amp is good, its good with rock, hip hop, electronic, classical- whatever.

I might respectfully disagree with you here, Ralph. I think we've discussed this; the exception I can think of is with low-powered SET amps which excel at certain specific qualities that are best enjoyed with more sparse and simple musical arrangements. Though they can certainly also sound "good" with rock, hip-hop, electronic, etc., my experience has been that denser arrangements are better served by different topologies delivering more current. I guess then your statement might imply that those SET amps are not "good" amps, which what I'd understand you are opining here (those amps which are not versatile enough to handle any type of music are not "good" amps). Correct me if I'm wrong. I understand that there are issues of distortion that also come hand-in-hand with many SET designs, particularly 2nd order harmonic distortions. These haven't seemed to bother me, or their bother is offset by the qualities I'm enjoying, I suppose.

From your paper:

In the world of speakers, efficiency of the speaker has been an issue that the Voltage camp has had to address, as the older Power Paradigm specification of 1 watt/1 meter was a 'chink in the armour'. The new Voltage Paradigm specification, Senstivity, illustrates the point: 2.83V/ 1 meter is the spec, resulting in a certain sound pressure level, expressed in db, just like the Efficiency spec. 2.83 Volts into an 8 ohm load is 1 watt. 2.83 Volts into 4 ohms is 2 watts. Thus, a speaker can have a senstivity rating that looks the same as the efficiency rating, but the speaker can be several decibels less efficient if the impedance is lower. This is an easy way to cover up how much power it really takes to drive a speaker, and also creates an expression that moves the efficiency issue into the Voltage Paradigm nomenclature. It would also seem to create a 'buyer be ware' situation: you have to know how to interpret the numbers to get to the truth of the matter.

From another thread, I mentioned that I'm using 9 watt SET amps pushing speakers in nearfield that are 92db at a flat 10ohms. The only times I've experience audible distortions has been in the low end, when bass gets very low and intense. I'd always assumed that it was the amps inability to move the larger bass drivers fast enough, but you seem to be implying something different here (or are you)? Am I actually pushing the speakers to distortion in other parts of the range and just not hearing it as much as in the bass? Oh, and is "Voltage Camp" like "Band Camp"?

Finally, a quick note to the original poster who has not chimed in with more specs. Another detail you did not mention is whether or not you already had a preamp and what that component was, or whether you were in search of an integrated tube amp. As others have indicated your budget and speakers might be good things to list. "Entry to mid-level" might mean different things to different people. I'd guess from re-reading your post that you are probably looking for an integrated tube amp. No idea of your budget though. I'd echo the recommendation of Quicksilver, but Mike's stuff is all power amps (require a preamp) - certainly huge bang-for-buck there. Ralph's amps are excellent as well, but I wouldn't put them into an entry to mid-level category (again, that is subjective according to your own budget). There are a whole bunch of good integrated tube amps coming from China if you care to go that direction. I'm more for supporting local myself, but offerings are not as plentiful.

In your price range, for a tube integrated you're probably going to do best with something used from China (Jolida, Prima Luna. Sophia, Cayin, Mysterie, among others). The Jolida 102B you are interested in requires manual biasing (a simple monthly task with a digital volt meter). Most af the Jolidas require a manual bias while other options, like Prima Luna, may have an auto-bias circuit. The 102b only puts out about 20 watts which may be a bit low for 90db at 8ohms depending on the size of room, type of music and typical level you listen at. Generally I'd be looking for 40-60 tube watts if I were you (Jolida 302B or 502B would do). If you'll be looking for new speakers too then you can better tailor the selection of both.

Hi Jax2, my point has to do with equipment matching. An SET driving a 92 db speaker is going to get clipped a lot if you listen to demanding musical passages. On a speaker like that, you would need a lot more power- 60 to 100 watts, in order to get to appropriate levels. There are not a lot of SETs that can do that, and IMO those that do don't sound very good. Lower power SETs really require a speaker 10 db more efficient than the ones you have/had; then you can play hip hop on them all day, but don't expect a lot of bass with a speaker that is that efficient! That's why those speakers we had at T.H.E. Show are such a nice deal, though they are anything but cheap :)

I would love to have a pair of John's speakers, but alas, not only is it not in the card$ at the moment, but I'm also dealing with a smallish listening space in my home. The WAF would negate anything the size of a dishwasher or larger. My wife used to call my LaScalas, "The Dishwashers". I used those at work and they were highly modified, and yes, they certainly could do more with demanding music...but I still prefer my current nearfield setup. It is pretty rare that I can hear it strain. There are only two tracks I can think of, and I know exactly where they will tax the system, and just in the bass. Otherwise I do not hear it clipping at all (unless I'm missing something - I don't think so because Peter's observed the same thing, as has my other Nervosa inflicted friend). That said, I'm sitting 8 feet from my speakers which are only 2.5 feet from the back wall.

IOW if an amplifier is good, its good for any kind of music, perhaps a qualifier is needed- as long as it is being used with a speaker that matches that amplifier (whatever it is) properly. So I am saying that such an amp will play classical as well as any rock. The amp does not care what someone's taste is- its all electronic signals to an amp :)

I think I get what you're saying here. I completely agree about speaker matching with amps. I don't know that what I think you are getting at overall is how I experience two contrasting amps though. Maybe I'm just delusional. As I said, my SET amps (still have'em) can play rock just fine...enjoyable even...I just think it's more enjoyable on some SS amps I've tried, for instance. Whereas something more stark and simple sounds much better on my SET amps (to me). The illusion of space, presence and realism is far more effective to me with the SET option. That illusion is there to a great degree when playing more challenging, more dense music, rock say, but it occurs to me as more congested than when that same dense is played on a good SS amp in the same system and space. By your definition of a 'good amp' both the SET and SS amps I've used in this space need not apply. It may be all electronic signals to an amp, but it's not that at all to any of us who are listening to the music. We put all kinds of meaning into just how those electronic signals are translated into music. I digress........