I agree a tube amp within your budget probably won't work well with your Maggies. Why not look at a Sunfire 300 or 600 for under $1000 used. A ton of power and has a lush, warm sound; very different than most high current SS amps.
I know many people hate Bob Carver's amps, but the Sunfire IMO is outstanding. (Class AB amp). |
I have said it before that tubes and Maggies may not be ideal, and was drowned out by blind enthusiasm. I still think it a less than ideal choice. Use high current SS IMO, if not I still love my Oper Consonance Cyber 800 Mono blocks but closer to $1000/ea.
Micheal is the system listed your current set up. I have been apart from my stuff for a while now. If you speak with Joe he can give you my new e-mail. Dr. M |
Roscoeiii,
Makes a good point along with others here.I love tube power amplifiers but you'must' match them to an appropriate speaker or disappointment will be the result.
Your current speaker is`nt ideal for the lower cost tube amps you`re seeking.
Regards, |
Alphaattitude06,
Better sound is not just a matter of tube vs. solid state. More important is matching your amp and speakers. IMO, due to the higher cost per watt of tube amplification and the Maggies well-documented need for power you will have a much better range of options if you look in the solid state arena.
It isn't that you can't run tubes with Maggies, it is just that the tube wattage needed for Maggies will cost more than your stated budget.
It is all about synergy, especially between amp and speaker.
For example, when I had less efficient speakers (SP Tech Minis) that were known for liking power, a Butler hybrid amp was a great solution for me. When I moved to more efficient speakers (Von Schweikert VR-4s) I got a Rogue tube amp. Driectly comparing the amp & speaker combos, the hybrid amp sounded better with the SP Techs, while the Rogue was preferable with the VR-4s. The other combos lacked something. FWIW |
Why don't you try a tubed pre-amp? I use a Conrad Johnson PV3 with a solid-state amp and it sounds wonderful! |
I thanks for the replies , right now I have Adcom 5802 to power my speakers with a Harmon Kardon receiver as a pre amp. I wanted to try a tube amp to get a better sound .
I also have a Sony 55es I might use as the preamp too. |
It's going to be hard to find a NEW tube amp in that price range with enough juice for 86db speakers. I do love my Jolida 502p but my speakers are higher efficiency than Maggies. Jolida's 100 watt hybrid is around $800 (new) so that maybe could work for you...and I can attest, based on my recent experience with them, that Jolida MD (Mike Allen et al) is a great company to work with. I have no connection with them, but if they read this stuff they really should thank me for my shameless promotion of them...but NO NO NO...I get NOTHING. Bastards.
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The Dyna ST70 may have not enough power for (any) Maggies. I had one with the Van Alstine mod and, IMO, was way underpowered for the 1.6/QR that I once had.
If you like the tubey sound, go for a hybrid or a FET input / power bi-polar transistor end based solid state amp. Maybe a CJ MF2250A or MF2500 that goes a bit above a grand. I second the vote for McCormack.
For more efficient speakers, I can recommend the Grant Fidelity that I heard or the Eastern Electric 8W (with NOS tubes) that I own which replaced the Krell KAV 250a to drive a pair of Vandy 2 Ce in my study; YMMV. I have the EE preamp and tube DAC as well, very good sound and built quality in a nice form factor. |
A tube-SS hybrid amp might be a possibility within your budget. Maybe a Vincent hybrid? |
I echo the concern that a sub-$1000 tube amp might not be the best match for Magnepan's. What amp are you currently use to drive your speakers, and what do you find lacking that makes you want a tube amp?
Some of the better-known amps for powering the Maggies are Innersound/Sandersound amps, but even used you're talking over $1000. Maybe Wyred4Sound would be a good option, or perhaps Odyssey or an older McCormack (DNA-1 or DNA-225). All of these options I've mentioned are SS, by the way.
If you like the sound of the Maggies, and have the appropriate room for them to be positioned optimally, then my suggestion is to save up for an amp that will truly match your speakers. I think you'll be much happier in the long run.
Michael |
Magnepans love power...
Back when I had 1.6QRs, I hooked up a "50" (more like 25-30!) watt EL34 Yaqin MC-10T amplifier. It sounded pretty good - provided you didn't listen at loud levels or any music with deep bass.
Perhaps a Ming Da MD75 would work...
but as someone already said, look in the used market first - VTL, Conrad Johnson, even Audio Research come along under $1k once in awhile.
Other option: get a good SS amp and run a tube preamp with it? |
Plus Mike Allen's Jolida provides fast warranty service and they will actually spend time with you on phone calls. Beware of the Chinese websites selling Jolida products. Sites such as UnderwoodWalley are legitimate dealers.
**NO Affiliation |
The Jolida company you want is Michael Allen's Jolida out of MD (see Jolida.com; avoid Jolida.net). He's the designer, production is in China, finishing in the States. A 502B was my intro to tubes over 10 years ago. I really enjoyed it. Not sure what pricing is like today. I expect used could certainly be had for <$1000 depending on model. I cannot speak to whether you can find a used JoLida in that price range that will drive Magnepans, however. |
I would take the Dynakit ST70 currently advertised for 425.00 over any chinese amp under a grand. However, you might need more power. You may be able to find a VTL ST85 for under a grand if you keep looking. |
Finding a tube amp at under $1000 to drive Maggies is going to be real tough. My understanding is that Maggies really like power. Not sure you are going to be able to get the power you will need to drive them well until you get into the $1000-$2000 range. And even then it might be tough. |
I think you should look at Jolida but there's two Jolidas so wait for an owner to chime in and tell you how to contact the correct one. |
I saw check out recent tube amp offerings from Jolida in Maryland. Specifically the JD-502P that is capable of using the Tung Sol KT-120 tube or even the Jolida JD-1000P amplifier. There are lots of Jolida dealers and support from the people in Maryland is quite good.
Also check out Grant Fidelity. I'm not sure on the amp offerings but they have a good amount of integrated that are good quality with great customer service to boot.
Good luck with the search. |
