40 watt tube integrated enough for vandy 2's?


does the jolida 202 have enough power to match the low sensitivity of the 2ce's? Does the fact that it is a tube amp give it somewhat of an upper hand when it comes to it's numerical shortcommings in terms of power? I want tube, but don't want to spend more than 600-700 (for used). Is the 303 (50wpc...i think) a better way to go?
rose527758166
Hi, Rose:

I'd like to pursue your question a bit further, and ask you why you specifically want to use a tube amp with the Vandy 2Ce's? Do you already own a tube amp (the Jolida) that you prefer to use, or did you hear the Vandy 2Ce with a tube amp that you liked? Put somewhat differently, we ought to talk about the qualities of the amp you pick, and how well those qualities match the characteristics of the Vandy 2Ce.

It would also be helpful to know some other things, such as: how large is your listening room; what type of music will you typically be playing; will the 2Ce's also be used for home theater; and do you like to listen to music at fairly high volume levels?

The reason for asking you to offer a bit more information than contained in your post is not to take issue with your preferences. As regular readers of this forum know, I have owned most of the Vandy speaker models over the past 15 years, have used both tube and solid state amps with them, and my personal preference was for a solid state amp. On the whole, solid state amps may be better suited to Vandy speakers than tube amps due to the Vandy's lower efficiency (I personally think that about 100 wpc is the minimum needed to properly drive the 2Ce), impedance (6 ohms on average, with dips to 4 ohms or slightly less, which can be a real challenge to moderately priced tube amps), and tonal balance. In fairness, however, I know there are many Vandy owners that use tube amps and like the sound they provide.

Before you make a purchase, I think you would be well served to try several different amps -- both tube and solid state -- to see which you like best with the 2Ce's. Over the long run, you will probably be happier with an amp that has a neutral tonal balance and a minimum of 60 wpc. IMO, Vandy speakers perform much better with more power -- they seem to "wake up" and have greater realism. There are some excellent, moderately priced, solid state integrated amps on the market right now that deserve your consideration, such as the Creek 5350SE and the Bryston B-60.
Originally used a Quicksilver GLA (signature) & mved up to M60's. Sound improved but the GLA di dirve the 2's nicely...
Rose--
From personal experience, my set-up years ago was 2ci w/ the
ARC Classic 30~Classic 60 The 30 ran hot,hot,hot and the
volume knob on my ARC LS2B MkII was at 11-12:00o'clock, too
high for my liking (my room was about 17x20ft) at normal
listening levels. With the Classic 60, music just flowed.
I'm not too familiar with jolida amps and their respective
power ratings, however, I would suggest you go with minimum
50 tube watts or 40 watts s/s...Great speakers at a great $
I forgot to add- my 120wpc Macintosh MC 2120 amp (solid state) really sounds the most exciting but didn't have the smoothness of either Quicksilvers.
SDcampbell is 100% correct.i used to own the Vandy 3A.even my adcom 555($450 SSamp) sound better then my KR($3000 tube amp).if you must have tube,i think try to get something with at least 100W..hope this help