To Tube or not to Tube, that is the question
I've been building a collection of hifi equipment with an ear to sampling the major families of tech and their characteristic sounds. One thing I don't have is a tube amp, unless you count my Rogue Sphinx. I like DIY if the final product is of good quality and design. I'm not averse to used either. Budget range is $1000-2000.
Can anyone suggest a tube amp, either power or integrated that would bring a nice sound flavor to my sandbox and not break the bank. OR do you think the Sphinx and the Pass amps pretty well serve up most of what is to be had in terms of tubey goodness and maybe this is not a worthwhile venture?
Here is what I have got in the way of speakers to play with:
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KEF LS50 |
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Tangent RS4 |
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Klipsch RP-160 |
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DIY Lii F6/Caintuck |
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DIY Lii F15 (under construction) |
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AR 2ax |
And here is the current line up of amps:
Rogue Sphinx
ClassD Audio Mini Gan 5
DIY Firstwatt F6
DIY Pass ACA (2)
Onkyo TX-6000 Receiver
Thanks in advance for your opinion.
Great recommendations above. I agree that you should look at China Hifi. Just be sure to watch the voltage specified with the amp. If you're in North America, you'll want 115/120v. I've owned and built all sorts of tube amps. Willsenton and Doge are amazing amps regardless of the price/country of manufacture.
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@evank Funny I bought a pair of Brimars from Upscale but they were noisy and they gave me all kinds of static about replacing them, so I went back to the JJ's. I think they give a more defined sound which I like, the Brimars sounded more muted to my ears. That is really interesting using the Gan Fet as the power stage on the Sphinx. Since I have one in the form of the MiniGan 5 I may try that one day, but I never thought the hypex units in the Sphinx were lacking. I love its overall sound! The main speakers I see using with tubes are the two Lii audio full range, open baffles which both have efficiencies in the mid 90spl. Also the Klipsch RP-160s are rated at 96. These Lii speakers in the Caintuck inspired barrel shapes with no crossovers are magnificent, particularly for the money. I do supplement all my speakers in the main system with a trio of Syzygy subs to take care of the deep end. The Rogue CM is a fine suggestion, if I wasn't focused so much on building my own I would definitely give them a listen. May do so anyway. Same for the Williston and other Chi-Fi. Thanks! My own research has me looking at Dynakit ST-35, And this Decware Zentriode kit, https://www.decware.com/newsite/SE84CDIY.htm I did some parts pricing yesterday and the ST-35 would come in at $875 with tubes and the Decware Zen Triode would be a bout $500
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I might add I am leaning towards the Dynakit ST-35 for 3 reasons. It has more power, 17w vs 2w, it's a NJ company and i could drive to get it, no shipping risk, AND it was favorably mention by @atmasphere , which carries a lot of weight with me :-) |
I don't know what year Brimar's I am using I will have to check. I got them from a friend who had a few extra pairs. They are probably around the 50's or so but NOS I love the Sphinx V3 but I happened upon the Orchard Audio tour and like his amp so I bought one. The Rogue is temporary as a preamp. It will stay in my inventory not getting rid of it. Just deciding on a preamp for the Gan FeT. I had the Mini Gan 5 but it was defective and so was the second one he sent to me. I also tried the Gan 400 from Peachtree but the Orchard won out in the end. You have to hear it compared to the others. I also own the Willsenton R8 you mentioned above. Another great amp. I ordered it direct from China Hifi and saved like 400 bucks and still had it in 4 days. They come from a warehouse in California, same as place as if you ordered from Amazon. If you look at my systems page, you can see what I have going on LOL. And it's all a keeper. To me that is |
