2. amps-preamps
  3. 185935-166559

I'm going to buy my first tube amp. I need honest blunt opinions

 

 

Recommendations please. I am thinking of dipping my toes in the tube amp water.  For the longest time I have been tempted to buy a modest tube amp to run my Monitor Gold 300’s at 90db.

I’ve been toying around, researching the different characteristics of SET, class A, class AB, B Ultralinear tube amps for months. It’s a bit much. As far as the reviewers go, they are too vague. They are afraid to be upfront honest.

Sources are a Parasound JC 3+, a Innous ZENith Mk3, and a Oppo going to a Benchmark DAC, then all go to a Benchmark LA 4 preamp that will feed the new amp.

My room is 16 x16. The speakers have a 12-foot spread. I sit 14 feet back, so it’s not that big of a room.

I have narrowed it down to four candidates.

A used Canary Audio M90 300B Tube Amp at 24RMS,300B push-pull stereo triode Class A $4,000

A used Jadis Orchestra Black, 40 RMS, Class B $4,000

A 16-year-old, Used Cary Audio Six Pac Monoblock’s, 50 triode watts A/AB $2,000

A new Dynaco by WILL VINCENT 35RMS Ultralinear $2,300

 

marshinski15
thecarpathian
4,339 posts
 

You must have thought it 3 times...

Post removed 
jetter
3,033 posts
 

Good karma to you @coltrane1 

voodoofunk's avatar
voodoofunk
42 posts
 

Good plan on getting new speakers.  My advice would be to go for the highest dB you are able and invest in a low powered SET Amp...2A3 tubes are wonderful...

pindac's avatar
pindac
2,864 posts
 

There are very well established Valve users having contributed.

I will post a Copy/Paste of a post I made in a thread recently.

_____________________________________________________________

" I have a System using Valves in Pre and Power Amp's for many years.
I also have other devices with Valves.
I was given advice in my earliest days, to not leave a device using Valves unattended for more than a short period of time.
This is a discipline I have maintained, and to date have not had a incident that would be of a concern, so have been quite fortunate.
I would not be the one responsible for bringing Valves into a Newbies System, this this would have to be the system owners choice.
I would definitely encourage the system owner to learn about Valves pro's/cons prior to making a decision. 

My second system is a design to be used to play Music to fill the house with sound and not really need to be sat in front of.
For this reason Valves are not even being considered in the set up. "

More to discover