Entry into tubes

Be patient and find someone willing to sell you the Audio Research VT100 for your price. You will find someone. It will drive just about anything and it is phenominal. Great soundstage and so easy to listen to.

I can't speak for others and all choices available. It appears that you may require a little more power with Maggies than what you might find in an all tube integrated especially at your 1500.00 price point. It that is indeed the case your choices are very limited indeed. The VT 100 whether a Mk1 or Mk2 is a budget buster but is indeed a superb amp. You MIGHT find a Mk 1 just South of 2K but I haven't seen one. So you still need a pre-amp. I would look at a D-90 or D-115 Mk 2. I have the D-115 Mk2 and it DOES compare favorably with any of their current products albeit a smaller power supply than the VT-100 Mk2 but comparable with the Mk1 (280 joules). The big plus is I have seen the amp as cheap as 1150 on Audiogon and believe me that is a good deal for that amp. It sounds superb, wonderful extended highs, a glorious midrange and well defined bass, you know that word that is so commonly used "musical", fits like a glove. I can't imagine you doing better for the dough, only make sure the output tubes are recent. Now you still need a pre-amp. Depending on your needs; a phono stage unit Conrad Johnson PV-5 for around 500-600; ARC SP-6 series for 600-700. Line stage only maybe a little less ARC LS-2 600.00. NOW you have got a good tube set-up close to your budget. Fair warning the D series amps run HOT, and that D-115 needs space if you want to prolong tube life. But you'll love it. Good luck.

Go to the AVAhifi website and take a look at the new AVA integrated. As good as you will get for the $$. Maybe not the prettiest stuff out there but built like a rock and 110 % customer support by Frank V. himself. You could spend a lot more and get a lot less.

Hello one and all, Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences. The exchange of information on this site accelerates the learning curve even though some b.s. get mixed in. As a neophyte, (I have had the Creek for about 2 years,) with a “budget” (?) system, I am having a lot of pleasure listening to my system mature with each change. Your suggestions are greatly appreciated. From this thread I have learned: 1. forget the maggies for now and gain a ton of choices in my price range, and 2. tube people are much cooler than ss people. :) May you always find solace in your music, Charlie Daniell Brunswick, GA

charlie (& Tm12), 1st of all, my comments regarding trying rogue stuff are directed at someone who specifically mentions that bass response is important, & that they want to use maggies, which are a hard load to drive, especially in the bass. the rogue will *not* do it, period. i have over 400 hours on my preamp now, w/~150 hours on the n.o.s. ge tubes, which bruce wenger (www.bws-tube.com) said need 10 hours at most, to break-in. while the bass response is now *ok*, w/my prior linn kairn preamp, it was absolutely *outstanding*. & i'm talking about acoustical upright bass, not electronic synth stuff. and, yes, this was w/my *junk* adcom gfa 555's, putting out 900wpc into the 95db/1watt/<1/3%thd larger vmps subs (-3db @ 17hz). there's no way *any* other amp would better the adcom's output here - jeez, we're only talking frequencies below 60hz! say what ya want about adcom stuff, *no* one has *ever* slammed the bass capabilities of the adcom gfa555's (except Tm12!). not even *one* hi-end dealer, even tho salivating at the prospect of a sale, has told me i would gain anything by upgrading my subwoofer amps. *every one* has said "don't bother". and, besides, since the acoustic bass only goes down to 44hz, the fact is, most of the bass output is being handled by my electrocompaniet aw100 amp, driving the woofers of my monitors. while the soundstaging dimensionality of my system is *definitely* nicer w/the rogue 99 in my system, compared w/my previous linn kairn, i had *real* low-bass & mid-bass w/the linn, & it's now gone. that's why the rogue is for sale - i want it *all*. the rogue products (like adcom) are nice-sounding entry-level hi-end stuff, but if ya want *more*, ya gotta spend more. if bass is important to you (as it is to me), the rogue won't cut it. several critical listeners have heard my current set-up, and the bass is fine for *them*. two of 'em specifically understood what i was referring to when i complained i miss the bass - they heard the difference compared to how it was previously - but, they dint care, cuz they liked everything else! Tm12, i am not saying your rogue stuff doesn't put out satisfactory bass for you in your system. it's obvious that there are one of two things going on here - either you've never heard what *real* bass sounds like on a home-stereo, or it's not a priority for you (like it wasn't, for my friends). i had *real-live* string-bass-players in my living-room before, and i won't be satisfied w/a preamp until they return! ;~) doug