Tube amps under $7500

Synthesis or Jadis.

All the Synthesis amps I’ve heard have been integrateds, but they do make a stereo amp and I believe monoblocks too. They have a definite house sound and it’s in the warm and tubey category yet with good detail and resolution.

The Jadis amps are similar, but I don’t think they’re a fit for your aesthetic preference.

The OP stated, “I love the romantic, tube-y sound”, so I’m not getting the ARC recommendations. 

Audio Research D-79A.

@ hickamore, May I suggest Manley.

i have snapper, mono amp, powerful 100w .

have balance but not auto bias. 

Black Ice Audio. I’ve owned the F100 mononlocks and F360 Preamp for over a year and Tube rolled from the stock KT88’s to 6550 and now KT170’s with no issues !

My friend bought their F22 (no XLR) and runs KT170’s in it as well. F35 gets you the XLR input.

@hickamore There's a good thread about it, here.

Point to point wiring and really good transformers. No money spent on advertising or marketing. Everything goes into the amps.

Most agree that Quicksilver is an excellent value. 

Raven Audio all the way! Their tube amps and selection of NOS tubes are second to none. I wrote a full review on my journey to find the best tube amp here (spoiler alert: Raven Audio blows Prima Luna and McIntosh out of the water). 

If your speakers are 88+db, the Black Hawk has more than enough power and sounds fantastic. If you want a little more head room, go with the Osprey (which is the one I have and love). 

Either option comes in below your price point and ships with NOS tubes that can be tweaked/upgraded to your liking. 

Good luck!

@hilde45 Checked out the Quicksilver and it seems quite the value with legions of enthusiastic fans. I trust their judgment but unfortunately it does not come in silver, has no balanced input, and requires frequent re-biasing. Given those limitations, I have narrowed the search to about three serious contenders and am seeking the best deal within my price range. With different upstream components, different cosmetic requirements, and more enthusiasm for tweaking, it might be another story. Ultimate question to be answered is whether or not I find a tube amp essential for my main system.

@hickamore I hear you on the multiple requirements. Good luck with your search. There are many good tube amps out there and I hope you update us with what fits the bill for you. If it were me, I might go for Linear Tube Audio stuff. They have warmth and punch.

I understand the cosmetic requirement.  But, why insist on balanced connection?  If it is that important, you would be limited to truly balanced tube topology and I would bet that is pretty limited (like Balanced Audio Technology).  Otherwise, even if your sources are only balanced out (very doubtful), you can use an adaptor.

Also, you say you have limited the field to three choices.  If you tell us what the three are, you can get some opinions on them.  For my own personal taste, I hope they do not include Primaluna or modern McIntosh.

@larryi I realize true balanced, end-to-end, is a tough ticket. But I believe DAC & pre both fully satisfy. Phono stage does not, but vinyl use is down to "on request only" at this point. This forum very quickly talked me out of Prima Luna, and I was already inclining against Mac for other reasons. Top choice at the moment is ARC VT80SE but seller may be getting cold feet on that one.

Lab12 Suara.  $5400 (new).  60w.  4 ohm taps. Balanced.  Cool factor.  

@mdalton 

OP wanted romantic sound. As much as I adore my Lab12 Integre 4 MKII (and by extension Suara) they are definitely not romantic and tubey. 

The ARC VT80SE is a fully balanced amp so it fits your specifications.  I don't consider it a warm sounding amp, but that is a very subjective judgment.  I have never heard the Lab 12 Suara, but, nothing in the description suggests that it is fully balanced.  Just because a component has balanced input jacks does not mean it is fully balanced (the jacks might be there as a convenience).

@auroravengeance 

Yeah, not sure myself.  Have only heard Lab12 at audio shows, so really hard to tell.  I did see a Part-Time Audiophile review that suggested the integrated was somewhat “warm” and “tubey”, but definitely YMMV.  I’m a big fan of some of the European and Japanese niche companies out there that provide alot of value for $ (e.g., Synthesis, Triode Corp., Lab12, Audio Hungary, Fezz Audio, etc.) Hard to go with ARC, VAC, BAT or CJ and meet the OP’s budget.  Me? I have 3 tube integrateds: Synthesis, Leben, and Triode Corp.  

@mdalton I would use the word 'vivid' to describe my Lab12 and also Jadis. They give a bold first row live music experience type that demands your listening attention. I agree that more niche brands tend to give incredible value of money. I still think my Lab12 is as good or better than anything in the market below $20000. 

@larryi You are correct that Lab12 Suara (and Integre 4 MKII2) do not have balanced input, despite having XLR input. 

There are a couple more options that OP can consider. An used Air-Tight ATM-1 would be exactly what he is looking, minus the balanced input. I've heard good things about Luxman MQ-88UC as well. 

1961 MC240….. mostly black n chrome…no biasing but no XLR…..

Have fun Hickamore

@hickamore,

See Atma-Sphere M-60 mono amps, automatic bias - no adjustment needed and true balanced differential design! Colors: black brushed anodized, silver brushed anodized, gold brushed anodized. Have fun 😎

Mike

Check out Transcendent Sound OTL tube amps.  They are sold only as kits but there are pros on the Transcendent forum that will assemble and test for a reasonable fee.

@mdalton Agreed, Suara would be a super-cool piece to look at and play with. Just  not sure it's the prudent one for me.

@ditusa Atma-Sphere definitely in contention. All now comes down to where I find the best deal on a piece that checks the boxes. Appreciate all the thoughtful advice from a forum of experienced contributors.

I like OTL amps—they tend to be very vivid and lively.  But, because of their high output impedance, they tend to work best with high impedance speakers and not ones rated at 4 ohms.  The M-60 is quite good, but it is also not on the warm side tonally speaking.

Balanced narrows the field. Audio Research I/50 meets your criteria. McIntosh [whispers] MA252 and MA352 also meet your criteria.

@hickamore I have an Aric Audio amp and is highly recommended by members.

@aricaudio 

https://aricaudio.com

@maxdukecapone Thank you for the mention! I wanted to add that any of my amplifiers can be fitted with fully balanced differential inputs at a modest upcharge (the cost of the Jensen input transformers and Neutrik XLR jacks). Additionally, I can also finish the chassis in a thin hardwood painted silver to mimic a silver metal chassis at no additional cost. Best regards, Aric

hickamore

++1 for Aric Audio, and funny I just asked Aric about XLR inputs for a friend that is going to buy one of his amps.

Aric makes 2 300B amps, a 2A3 amp, a Transcend EL34 "Push Pull" (What I own) a EL34/KT88/120/150 single ended, and Super KT EL34/KT88/KT120/KT150 monoblocks. All of them come standard with RCA single ended, but can be upgraded to XLR for a $300 upgrade.

All of Aric's stuff is hand wired, can be customized, and uses ridiculously high quality components. Give him a call, he's a great guy to talk to, and makes amazing equipment. I also own his Motherlode XL preamp, and will be buying one of his 300B amps in the fall

+++1 I own the Aric Audio Super preamp and Transcend amplifier. I encourage you to talk to Aric Kimball. 

If the requirement for balanced design limits choices to much, I would ditch that criterion.  There are MUCH more important things at play than the relatively trivial advantage of balanced design.  You do need to somehow hear various amps and make a choice entirely on the sound, not on any specific design choice, topology, type of tube utilized, etc.  There are a number of suggestions made above that are based on sound and disregarding your balanced criterion that you should use to make your target list. 

Way back in this thread, a dealer who sells Legacy mentioned the Synthesis amps he also sells. If you can, you should get to hear their amps even if the black color is out of the question because their amps are great examples of warm sounding tube gear that is also punchy, alive, dynamic, and clear sounding all at the same time.  That will set a tough to beat mark, but, I think you will agree it is a worthy standard; I have not met anyone who has heard their amps that did not like the sound a lot.  I know someone who traded in two month old $60k amps for a pair of their $18k monoblocs.  I like the monoblocs, but they are really only slightly better than their $8500 integrated amp that includes a fantastic DAC.  Some pretty exotic DACs have been traded in for Synthesis DACs; they do know how to make those things well too.

I recently replaced my ST100 “Dark,” which is an excellent amplifier, with a pair of monobloc Odyssey Kismet amps, and I am exceptionally pleased.  Used with my Rogue RP-7 preamp, I think the solid state amps give me better bass response, especially at lower volume levels, better tonal qualities, and better soundstage and imaging. At least with my Fyne F702 speakers.

@mike4597 Equivalent bass response has been my primary concern with the low-mid-level tube amps I am exploring. The behemoth tube monoblocks can definitely go low with realism, but I will never be in the market for those.

Music Reference products, though never trendy and/or fashionable, are (were) very well designed and built by tube expert Roger Modjeski. Roger passed away in 2019, but his amps are well known to run trouble free for years. At one seminar I attended, Bill Johnson of ARC said he built his amps for an expected lifespan of 20 years. Modjeski said his target was 100 years!

Roger designed his RM-200 amp for low impedance loudspeakers, and the amp puts out a little over 100w/ch, with taps for 8, 4, and 1 ohm (!) loads. Both KT88 and 6550 tubes may be used (only 2 per channel), and the amp’s low output impedance for a tube amp results in very little change in frequency response in reaction to loudspeaker impedance characteristics. The amp features balanced-only XLR input jacks.

Michael Fremer reviewed the original version of the RM-200 in Stereophile, after which he kept it and used it as his reference "affordable" tube power amp, and placed it in the Class A/Tube category in the mag’s Recommended Components list. He subsequently reviewed the Mk.2 iteration of the amp, and John Atkinson’s test bench results of the amp were unusually excellent. In his Stereophile review of the earlier RM-9 power amp (single ended/RCA jacks only, 4 EL34 or KT88 tubes per channel, producing 100wpc, 125 in the MK.2 version), Dick Olsher (one of my favorite reviewers) heaped praise on the amp, asking the rhetorical question "Who needs the McIntosh MC75 when we have the Music Reference RM-9 Mk.2?"

The RM-9 Mk.2 typically sells for around $2000 on the used market, the RM-200 Mk.2 around a grand more. Legendary high end retailer Brooks Berdan (alas, like Bill Johnson and Roger Modjeski also deceased) sold Jadis and VTL amps to his well-heeled customers, Music Reference to working class stiffs.

@bdp24 Very interesting. A product that came out during my years away from hi-fi. Seems to check all the boxes and I see a MkII on Shark for $3250. Sounds almost too good. Will inquire further and thanks for the tip.

+1 @larryi 

Unless you are dealing with a long cable run (say 15ft or more), you will spend a lot more money and never hear the benefit of balanced inputs. It's easy to get obsessed with specs, but how the amp is voiced matters WAY MORE than its specifications on paper.

Don't sleep on Raven Audio ;)

Good luck!

I think it’s hard to beat PrimaLuna tube amps for value. Point to point wiring, tube rectified, solidly built, compellingly priced. 
 

I currently using PL Dialogue Premium preamp going into a McIntosh MC312 solid state power amp. It’s a nice combo, and the Mac can handle most any speakers thrown at it (GoldenEar Triton One.R for me). 
 

Good luck!

Look at the hybrid Musical Fidelity NuVista 600 or ideally 800.  

Ayon Spirit PA. I have my eyes on that one.

@bimmerlover LOL, Prima Luna was my OP question and NO ONE before now has even remotely endorsed it. 

@crawfishdaddi Wrote:

Unless you are dealing with a long cable run (say 15ft or more), you will spend a lot more money and never hear the benefit of balanced inputs.

Why balanced operation? See article here!

Mike

I didn't see in OP integrated vs amp or wattage requirements.  FWIW, I've got my Raven Blackhawk integrated with NOS tubes I've settled on and it's way better than stock and expectations.   No XLR.  OK, I'll throw in for Don Sachs Valhalla integrated.  34 watts with the larger pre tubes like 6SN7 etc.    Has XLR but I think you'll only get the (beautiful) wooden chassis.  I've looked hard at Aric and Qualiton too for next amp.  

audphile here are reasons for purchasing a tube amplifier:

1 longevity: as the tubes are replaceable you can easily renew your amplifier.

2; easier to service then solid state a tube amplifier is a simple design and are easier to work on.

3: the sound is customizable by tube rolling

4: in general tube amplifiers produce a wider deeper soundstage then most solid state designs.

5: midrange liquidity most tube amplifiers produce a lusher more fleshed out midrange then most solid state designs.

Dave and Troy

Audio Intellect NJ

tube dealer

@ditusa +1 Also, mfr of my SS amp recommends balanced, so those are the cables I have and there are enough tube amps in that category that check my boxes.

@akgwhiz Power amp, not integrated; 70+WPC; silver preferred although wood will do. Down to a short list now thanks to many helpful advisors.

I would add to audiotroy's list:

1. Dynamics--tube gear sounds more alive and dynamic, particular at low volume.  Solid state has to be cranked up much louder to come alive.

2.  Natural/realistic attack/transients--the initial attack of a note sounds more natural and not as artificially hard or brittle.

Many of the tube amps that have XLR input jacks have them for a convenience for people with balanced cables, but the circuitry is not fully balanced.  If you have balanced cables and a piece of gear does not have XLR inputs, you can buy adaptors so you can keep the balanced cables.  This really should not be a limiting factor because the vast majority of tube amplifiers are not fully balanced.  

@hickamore I own Primaluna monoblocks. Pay no mind to the bias against PL products displayed on this forum. The bias is because they’re built in China. A segment of these people believe that anything built in China is junk. But another fact is the majority of these people have never owned the product. So how would they know anything about the products? Exactly. My amps are over 15 years old, self biasing, and operate as if they’re knew. Go figure. 

For the money, it would be difficult to do better than a Don Sachs Kootenai KT88-based amp.  A few are available at the moment. 

For the money, it would be difficult to do better than a Don Sachs Kootenai KT88-based amp.  A few are available at the moment. 

Look into AtmaSphere OTL.  Excellent amps with great customer service.

I would recommend an older Conrad Johnson such as a premier 140 used, Also, Manley Snappers, I’ve had great luck using both. They both will fall within your budget. Both of these amplify sound glorious. Good luck with your search. 
 

Michael. 

For $7,500 you can get a PrimaLuna EVO 400 integrated and swap the EL34s for KT150s. I did, and hear added body and slam, and a wider soundstage.

If you go with a pair of Atma-Sphere M-60's (a great amp, which I have owned) or S-30, for use with a 4 ohm loudspeaker you will need the Z-Music Transformer, which raises the impedance the amp sees. OTL amps don't like low impedences.