2. amps-preamps
  3. 163837-156378

Tube virgin looking for tube amp under $3k

I’ve never owned any tube amps or preamps and since I’ve got 95dB efficient speakers I thought why the heck not? And wow! What a rabbit hole I’ve gone down In the last week or so and my head is really spinning. For just about every amp or amp/preamp combo there’s someone who loves it and someone who says don’t bother. And then the more I dig, the more brands I find.

I’ve read about these products recently:

— Erhard Audio integrated amp 
—The various iterations of the ST-70 (Van Alstein, Bob Latino, Will Vincent, etc.)
—Music Reference RM10
—Cary (out of budget except used)
—Raven (at max budget for integrated)
—Dennis Had (hard to buy/find)
—Quicksilver Mid mono (need preamp)
—Decware (too long a wait for me at the moment but maybe one day)
—Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum III (at max budget and do I really need 100WPC with my speakers in a small room?)

And probably a few others I’ve forgotten about already. 

I have to say that the Bob Latino ST-70 speaks to me for the price of entry (about $1400) and the fact that I could get away without a preamp and only use a passive input selector. That said, would an ST-70 be the best choice or only the cheapest? 

Any ideas for a tube newb who doesn’t have a stockpile of tubes to roll in and out of an amp?




larshepping

Showing 2 responses by bpoletti

bpoletti
1,564 posts
 
Why do you thin k you WANT a tube amp?  Why not choose an amp that meets your musical needs and tastes?  And what makes you think tube amps are better than solid state?  It's ALL in the design.  Good solid state amps in the price range you're talking about are quite good.  And there are tube amps in that price range that are three levels below average.  

So why not just pick the best amp in your price range?  
bpoletti
1,564 posts
 
$3,000 is not all that much for an amp.  You should definitely listen VERY CAREFULLY before you invest.  Do objective comparisons between tube and solid state amps.  You don't have to listen to every amp on the market, but consider listening to what's available to you.

If you're going for tubes, don't forget to factor in the expense of the care and feeding of tube amps.  

I'm not trying to throw water on your vision, just trying to ground it in reality and to help you up come up with the best options at your price point.
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