Tube Mono-Block Recommendation

Krell monoblocks

Not heard art audio, but to be honest im into very fast amplifiers. Most tube amplifiers I have heard always have the slight slow pace to them. Timing is everything and transistors are the masters at time.

Lets see how the MA2 lives up to my Transistors.

I also think Atmasphere's ma2 should be considered and examined very closely;they will do everything you are looking for and being able to talk directly with Ralph in case there are setup questions or any post sales support is a very large positive in my opinion and must not be overlooked.

Art Audio and Wavelength Audio make some of the best SET monoblocks.

ha ha! That's some overshooting, yes you only live once. Congratulations

Im raised it further more lol. 12000 was the ideas but guess I will go for the full whack. After all we only live once.

Just happened to browse this thread, while looking for nice tube amps too.

Dragon_vibe your budget was $12000.

Doesn't the MA-2 retail for $33000 and change ?

Just curious, did you overshoot your budget by 3X or am I mistaken about the price of MA-2s.

Just following this from the sidelines. Always a fan of AS and am delighted you are going this route. Well done and thanks for supporting a true legend.

Dragon_vibe, you've made a great choice. Ralph is in a class by himself.

Dragon_vibe, you've made a great choice. Ralph is in a class by himself.

I drive Avalon Acoustic Eidolons with the MA-2s. Power cords for the amps are Silent Source Signature cables. Speaker cables are Omega Micro Planar V, but I'd use Silent Source Music Reference speaker cables today. These are the most neutral I've heard.

Beautiful, Rushton if you don't mind me asking what speakers do you use for the Amps? How about Cables?

Picture of Atma-Sphere MA-2 underside:
http://www.theaudiobeat.com/blog/pics/atmasphere_2.jpg

This image posted in an article by Marc Mickelson in The Audio Beat:
http://www.theaudiobeat.com/visits/tab_summer_audio_adventure.htm

Yes I understand this. I would love to see the amps guts. Cant find pictures anywhere on the net.

Dragon_vibe, when you receive the MA-2, allow plenty of playing time for break-in before making any judgments. The capacitors in the amp are MASSIVE and require a minimum of 200 hours of playing time before you'll be able to assess the amp, and perhaps as much as 400 hours to fully come into their own. During this break-in period, the sound quality will change from listening session to listening session. This is typical of tube amps using the size and quality capacitors Ralph places in his amps, so not at all a unique issue. Just be prepared for it.

Ralph customer service is top class i am very confident in his products and iv not even herd his amp. Which says allot. I will keep you boys updated soon.

Congratulations, Dragon_vibe. Nice to have you in the A-S family!

Yeah, Ralph is great to work with. Think you made a great choice based on your requirements.

Yes, after speaking again to Ralph. I have decided to go with it and move the AC unit closer to the front of the room pointing downwards over the gear. At the moment the AC unit is located at the back of the room closer to the listener. Heat is the major issue but I will modify the room to accommodate for the amplifiers heat. I live in the tropics so its always hot here. The room temps can be taken down to 18degrees.

Sounds like you made a good choice. I like that in the summertime I can pull out half the tubes in my Atma-Sphere amps and still get great music at lower listening levels! We're in the second week of a heat wave here and it really makes a difference!

I had an Atma-Sphere MA2 in my home a few years back and will say it is one of my all time favorite amps ever!

Yes they run hot like ever other Class A amp but boy do they sound good!

You know how you look back on gear you wish you would have purchased or keep. Well this is one of them.

Still leaves me wandering How the Atma will compare to the David Berning Quads Z Amps. The QuadZOTL seem to run cooler with less Energy consumption, heat and less tubes. Since im from a tropical climate. Still need to consider these as a option. I like the classical looks of the Atma but heat and power as my current deciding factor. Will probably need to research more.

I must say after emailing VAC, BAT and a few other companies to me Ralph provides best customer service. Responds super fast. This is another reason why I have gone down the atma route. Im not into super coloured Midrange or slow sounding amplifiers. I hope this is the last Amplifiers I buy.

OK--Iv made up my mind. Im going for the Atma MA2 Monsters. Seems to be the that's fits my requirements.

Quicksilver amps are great!!

its sold my bobs. The pre-amp cost more then the Amps and I find the Purity audio bar far the best pre-amp used compared to even VAC when adding pre-amps into the chain. The purity helps to control the amps correctly. When connecting directly the sound is just so thinner and has less body to it. Bass is less controlled.

I did try the MSB DAD Directly to the Bobs, The bobs sounded dark and slow.

Did you already change the stock volume pot with the Goldpoint stepped attenuator? If you did, I would bypass your preamp and go directly from source to amp. It's an eye opener, or should I say ear opener. A more expensive mod would be to replace the stock output coupling cap with better cap, like the Vcap, which I think is very neutral, very transparent sounding cap. You will need four 0.22 uF caps. These mods will get your amp closer to neutrality without sounding sterile.

+1 Dracule1. I found these inexpensive mods to my liking and well worth the effort.

My Hypex nCores do what I think your describing in spades, unfortunately, you sacrifice the second order harmonic distortion characteristic that only tubes can provide.

I'd love to hear what you come up with, please post.

Before you spend a lot of money on a new amp, may I suggest a simple mod. Replace the stock volume pot in your Carver amp with Goldpoint stepped attenuator. You will get speed and dynamics that you are looking for and will only cost you $150 for the part and may be $30 for labor by a tech. Changing the input 12AX7 to Psvane will speed things up and make it more neutral. The stock amp is a little sweet sounding, made that way on purpose by Bob. Hope you find what you are looking for.

I can tell you one thing, I have 100db Danley horns being used for the Theatre room. I find ATI amplifiers excellent in sound and build. Specially when you use the right power cord and fuses. ATI Amplifier are by far the quietest SS amps around. The Bob Carver amps noise floor is extremely quiet. Nearly as good as the ATI. Honestly I would keep it but this whole move and stuff just made me lose my confidence in the company altogether. Bob carver tube amps are prob one of the best around at the current prices.

I did not find it accurate enough. It is a very good amp and gives plenty of power. They also run pretty cool. No gripes but honestly it was not fast enough or accurate enough and I preferred my Clayton SS more.

Dragon, how do you like the sound of Bob's tube mono block? Not sure if you read my prior post about simple mods to Bob's amp that will significantly improve the sound of the amp. You can drive 1 ohm loads with his amp.

Dragon_vibe, if your speakers require the Atma-Sphere MA-2 model amps as the right match, then yes. They are large, they have a lot of tubes, they are hot, and they burn a lot of electricity when not in stand-by. They are also GLORIOUS and will punch all of the sonic hot buttons you specified as your criteria.

My wife and I have used MA-2 amps to drive Avalon Acoustic Eidolon speakers for over a decade. We'd never consider another amp. In that decade of use, I've replaced 6 output tubes - *SIX* only. These output tubes run a long long time.

And, you will have one of the true gentlemen of High End Audio, Ralph Karsten, supporting you.

Marc Mickelson at The Audio Beat has consistently listed the MA-2 as his favorite amp:

Keeping the notion of "best" in mind, let's say that I don't have the luxury of picking five amps. I have to choose just one -- the amp that will be the conduit through which all of my music, digital and analog, passes. Which will it be? Solid-state or tubes? Push-pull or single ended?

Give me OTL in the form of the MA-2 Mk 3.1s and I'll live musically ever after.

See his full review at:
http://www.theaudiobeat.com/equipment/atma_sphere_ma2_mk31.htm

Good luck in your search.
.

+1 to Rushton's response. What is that Atma show trick? Pulling out an output tube when the amp is playing?

And yes Atma was the first amp that jumped to mind given your criteria.

Dragon_vibe, It is true that our amps run kind of hot. But that is not because they are OTLs, it has to do with their being class A, something that you indicated you wanted in your OP. If you want 200-some watts and class A, you are going to get some heat, but it will also sound better, all other variables being equal.

Reliability is why we are still here 37 years on.

I will research into it. Big Amps they look like Monster trucks. Over 20 tubes Each block :-) I wander how long those tubes will last. everything I have read about Atma has always been positive.

I hate making a decisions specially so when I cant hear all the gear in my own setup.

Speakers are Whisper XD so might need Ralphs expertise to check them out for me to see if they will match well.

Dragon vibe, what you've read has nothing to do with Atma-Sphere OTLs. These are perhaps the most bullet-proof and utterly reliable tube amps made. And, they are one of the few tube amps (only?) that match ALL of the characteristics you listed in your opening post. The only issue is whether your speakers are reasonably compatible.

+1 for CAT JL2

Atmasphere I did consider OTL but reading online about OTL amps being unreliable, tube eaters, get extremely hot and expensive to maintain is sort of pushing me out and trying to consider something else. Want something more plug and play.

Quicksilver V4 Mono Blocks. Great sounding, reliable,no nonsense amplifiers with plenty of tube choices to choose from.You can also save some money for other goodies.

CAT JL2

Our MA-2s might suit. They make about 220 watts and are very fast (600V/usec).

Wyetech labs sapphire they are driving a friends sonus faber amati future incredible sound for 18 watt 300B

Anyone here have experience with both VAC 300.1 and the new Bat Rex Mono Blocks?

Manley Neo Classics, either 250 or 500 watts per mono.

Berning Quadrature Z

Still look for recommendation guys, Tube Mono Block with of 150-250 watts of Class A, Sweet Clean, Clear and emotionally evolving. Speed and Accuracy is important but not too dry. I tend to like it slightly warm and relaxing to listen too with out too much details being robbed.

Class A Watts on the Cary is too low. For controlling all those woofers at high volumes im sure it will lose steam.

Used CARY 211 FE mono block !!!

Any recommendation for a 200 Watt Mono Tube Amps. Something that may give me VAC Performance if I don't end up with a VAC.