Are mono tube amps my best choice?


I own a Denon 5910 multi disc player as my only source, which I’ve been running into a Burson buffer gain device, and then through two separate passive volume controls. From there I’ve been feeding my four B&K M200 mono amps to my Silverline Grandeur ll speakers. This setup actually sounds pretty nice.

Because my M200s are now over twenty years old, I’m thinking about switching to mono tube amps. I’ve never had tubes in anything I’ve owned. Because my wife and I watch movies (and listen to music), I don’t have space in the middle of the room for a single amp (only 4 inches of height). My stands, passive preamp, and wiring are geared for mono amps.

I live near Sacramento, California, and emailed Min at tubeaudiolab with my room specs and setup to see what he thought would work best. He recommended a pair of mono amps with Kt 88 tubes that produce approximately 60 watts per channel. From the reviews I’ve seen, it appears Min makes some pretty good equipment.

I’m hoping for some Audiogon wisdom to show me the way. Am I making the right choice switching to tube amps? I don’t want to spend more than $2000.
kevine
1) More important than a speaker's sensitivity rating is its impedance & phase curves.

2) IF the speaker is an easy load - and Silverline supposedly makes speakers that are - a 9W SET could well be a very good match at 93.5 dB/W.

Let's do some quick, basic math here. 93.5 dB/W at 8 ohms gives you 93.5 dB for one watt pulled at one meter. The second speaker gives you another 3 dB. Your listening distance - say 3m - costs you about 10 dB. You're now at about 86.5 dB for one watt. However - that's anechoic. Even in a large room you're going to get *at least* 3 dB of room gain. So, you're at 90 dB now for that one watt - 90 dB is loud. How loud do you want your movies? Well, even if you want peaks of around 100 dB, which is really freaking load, this setup can probably do it.

When I had 90 dB/W Hyperion speakers, a 16W 211 SET amp was able to play them louder, with much better bass dynamics, than a 200W solid-state monoblock.

SET amps, being class A, have very robust power supplies. An amps continuous wattage rating is meaningless if the power supply can't produce the current needed. Furthermore, and this is where it does get a little weird, there is some evidence that a single-ended valve amps can swing, for brief periods, way more voltage than their power rating would imply.

So, you might want to give it a try. However, a 300B does not have the current capabilities of the transmitter triodes.

Lastly, Min's a great guy, builds great equipment at great prices, and just might love the idea of building you a pair of 211 or 845 SETs. :)
Rleff,

I had heard that mixing amps isn't a good idea. Maybe someone else might like to comment on this. My setup can handle two pairs of mono amps.
Paulfolbrecht,

You have given me something else to think about and research. After I hear back from Alan at Silverline, I'll consider my options.
Kevine: I've been actively bi-amping my home systems since 1980, and most of that time with tubes on the top. Done correctly; the presentation is excellent.