Suggestions for someone who wants to get in tubes

What gear do you have now? The first couple of suggestions are great but it depends on what you have now. How efficient are your speakers? The more efficient, the more choices you will have.

I don't recommend starting with an integrated because upgrading gets into selling and starting over.

Tubed preamp matched with SS power amp is the best way to start with tubes IMHO.There's quite a few tube preamps out there for around $500.00 or less.Cary,Audio Note,Jolida,Golden tube,Conrad Johnson all can be had used in this price range. New ..I can't think of better bang for the buck than the Dared SL-2000a.Whisper quiet in my system ...the tubes aren't taxed to heavy either.Uses a tube as a rectifier instead of a SS rectifier.Has a smooth and natural sound plus it comes with a little radio frequency remote.Not bad for $300.00 bucks.

Good Luck with the search...I think it's the funniest part!

Forget the 'tube pre, SS power' combo and hybrid integrateds. The individuals who believe that is 'tube' sound, are deluding themselves. No SS power amp comes to sounding like a tube amp

A number of manufacturers like ASL and Jolida manufacture affordable integrateds that can sound quite decent when matched to suitable speakers. Try get something that is switch able between triode and ultraliniar (or pentode) and switchable between 4 and 8 ohm speakers. I don’t know if the less expensive amps have adjustable feedback, but the more adjustments the amp has the more you can fine-tune it to your tastes.

Look for speakers that have a relatively flat impedance curve. Most new tube amps can drive 4 ohm speakers no problem, but seem to have a hard time when the impedance varies a lot through the frequency range. Don't get speakers that drop below 4 ohms. Also you should get speaker with at least an 88 db efficiency as that will allow you to use an amp with as little as 20-25wpc, which will save you money.

Good luck and remember, tubes rule
Pauly

Definitely agree with the recommendations for matching a tube preamp with an SS amp as an entry into the world of tubes. That's why the contenders in my current three preamp shoot out only have tubes.

Reubent...About that "slightly damaged" stock... Back in the days when "Fair Trade" pricing was legal (the manufacturer could set the price, and no discounts) KLH operated that way. I went to buy a KLH 5 for center channel, and was offered "damaged" goods at a really good price. I insisted on opening the carton to inspect the damage, but could find none. Neither could the dealer. Finally he got tied of the game and explained what was going on. When sales were slow, and inventory got large, someone at KLH would just go out into the warehouse with a black marker, and designate a few dozen speakers as "damaged". These could then be sold at deep discount, while still keeping up the pretence that the price was fixed.