When were the best tube amps made?

@dynamiclinearity 

thanks for thee superb explanation. May explain why i love solid state. 

@atmasphere 

what are the tubes nowadays like? I keep getting the impression that NOS are the best

what are the tubes nowadays like? I keep getting the impression that NOS are the best

@lohanimal That depends on the tube. I think most of the NOS tubes are better than a lot of the new pentode power tubes.... but there are some excellent 6SN7s being made these days that our customers say are better than 'the best' NOS... And there are some very decent pentode power tubes too- so the best answer is 'it depends'.

@atmasphere 

Tis ever thus...

I keep flirting with the idea of getting a valve integrated for my nearfield set up which has 4 ohm monitors. My current integrated is superb.

I am odd coz i love integrateds

Since I've gotten mentioned in these discussions I'll cite a few good tube examples.

CAT has a superb reputation and I've heard this from other tube designers I know and respect.

David Berning is a genius. His ZTOL circuit is one of the few real amp inventions in decades and his amps are special.

And I'm biased(pun intended, since the designers were good pals) towards the now, defunct Melos amps. Tube monoblocks with over 400 wats in triode and 25 watts class A and a damping factor 0f 20 from tubes, all from just 4 output tubes is something special. And the 400 watt rating is one pulled back from higher ratings for reliability.

And I know I'm missing at least a few other good tube amps.

Hi @atmasphere ,

Which modern 6SN7 are better than NOS? I currently use Ken-Rad VT-231 from the 1940s in the input stage of my integrated 300B SET. They are not the most expensive NOS but still to change the pair of these tubes is expensive for me.

Regards,

Alex.