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Budget Tube Amp (newbie)

I'm new to tube amps. I need some advice as to a good budget tube amp with good bass that will push my large Advent speakers. Please keep in mind that I don't know anything about tube amps and don't want to pull the trigger until I can get some advice. I'm new to the Forum. Many thanks from an old guy.
Best regards,
Rob
shutupuface
parsons's avatar
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parsons
149 posts
 
Pick a used PrimaLuna integrated that’s at the top end of your price range (I do think they improve up model, so pay for what you can afford). They are a great gateway drug into tubes and they can drive fairly difficult loads, and certainly medium difficult ones. You may never go back to solid state.  I still own 2.
parsons's avatar
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parsons
149 posts
 
I also love Decware, but I have only owned (still own 2) of their low WPC amps and those low WPC amps wouldn't drive those speakers as well as PrimaLuna in my experience.  I know they make some higher power ones.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,788 posts
 

All right, let me be brutally honest. What is it you think a tube amp is going to give you (or do you just want to try one to see what all the "fuss" is about?). Did you get the Advents with a tube amp in mind? I ask because there are better old speakers to mate with a tube amp than the Advent.

The Advent isn’t (by current standards) particularly transparent, and is on the warm side of neutral (imo). A tube amp of the old-fashioned, classic type (Dynaco, for one) won’t help matters (inexpensive tube amps---the RM-10 being the rare exception---tend to error likewise. The Advent was designed to be powered by a solid state amp, with a low output impedance.).

Maybe a modest tube pre-amp (with your budget, look at the Schitt Saga +) and a decent medium-powered solid state power amp (used Parasound A23?) would be the way to go. But I say that as one ignorant about current integrateds. Separate power amps are almost all superior to the amp section of integrateds (imo), especially at the $1,000 level. Too bad the NAD 3020 is underpowered!

clhs04
62 posts
 
Number one..resign yourself to a tube integrated (keep it simple) and be ensured complete compatibility vs going the amp-preamp experimentation route where negotiating the learning curve could become costly!
for your Advents I would pass on the Rogue ..why shoot a mouse with an elephant gun?
I suggest finding a clean used Line Magnetic  EL-34 based integrated and its in your budget.
gardners501's avatar
gardners501
162 posts
 
Another Jolida recommendation. I just bought a Jolida SJ-302a a couple of weeks ago. It's integrated,  puts out 50 wpc, and was only $450 from my local dealer, who had taken it in from an estate sale. The drawbacks - it's not auto biased, but that's easy to do, it's about 25 years old, and it has no remote,  but it sounds wonderful,  and cost less than $500 including tax. I noticed a very obvious difference with my similar vintage Chapman t7 speakers moving to this amp from solid state.
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