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Diving into the world of tubes...help needed!

Hi all,
I'm seriously considering diving into the world of vacuum tubes.  I currently have Focal Aria 906s which I adore...but may upgrade those in the future as well to a floor standing speaker.  For the beginning though, they will be my speakers.  Looking for opinions on the below amps/preamps, especially the pairing of the Emotiva pre with the EVO 100!

My choices have been narrowed down to:
  • PrimaLuna Prologue Classic Integrated Amp - would likely pair with a Schiit Loki to have tone control
  • PrimaLuna EVO 100 Power Amp - paired with EMOTIVA PT-100 preamp, would likely pair with Loki as well
  • Vincent SV-237MK Integrated Amp - needs nothing additional
Thanks in advance for your assistance :)
branden_8091
branden_8091 OP
60 posts
 
@wolf_garcia Wolf, glad to hear about the Schiit gear.  I'll take a look into the products you mentioned
@eliottbnewcombjr Wow, thank you for your lengthy advice!  I'm no familiar with a lot of the technical measurements that are involved with speakers.  I do not use a subwoofer now.  Say I upgraded to the 936s before I chose an amp.  Could the PL EVO 100 (40wpc) drive such a load well?
As far as remote control goes, I can take it or leave it. I've never had it, I rarely if ever use the remote on my CD player. I just get up and do whatever needs doing :)
Thay Cayin looks nice, may be another one for me to consider.  Although the hybrid approach is attractive to me...power tubes are $$$
branden_8091 OP
60 posts
 
@tuberist I don't know much when it comes to speaker sensitivity.  If I were to upgrade to the 936, Focal's site says their sensitivity is 92dB, with recommended amp from 50-300W. Maybe the PL isn't a good choice if I go with those speakers...but as others have said, I should upgrade speakers first.
rongold's avatar
rongold
49 posts
 
Brandon, I was somewhat in your shoes 15 years ago. I decided to leap into tubes as well. I elected to keep my ss amp(an Adcom 555ii and added a tube PreAmp. I chose a used Audible Illusions line stage. Wow! What a difference!  I enjoyed the AI for ~10 years then added a tube amp, a Conrad-Johnson Premier 11a. It was an improvement, but not as much as the preamp. I think the preamp is where you get the ‘tube’ sound! There are a lot of used tube preamps on the market. People have mentioned several. I admit I’m partial to Audible Illusions, it’s an old brand, but with a good rep.
wolf_garcia
6,726 posts
 
Hey jetter...yeah, the Aegir has tempered my desire for an XA25 for now anyway. The Aegir (I've had it for only a couple of days after having to send the first one back...input sensitivity issues...Schiit payed for all the shipping of course and could not have been nicer) is the most astonishing SS amp I've heard in my or anybody else's system. It's a great sounding late night "low volume" amp, and it has a mesmerizing sound that seems to dig deep into whatever you're listening to at any volume. For what they sell these things for it was very hard to resist trying the thing and man...what an amp...
branden_8091 OP
60 posts
 
@rongold Glad to hear about your experience! :)  I think as people have said, I should upgrade speakers first, THEN find an amp. I guess I'll do that...
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