My first tube integrated amp max $500 new/used

Nscercs- Cheerfully ignore didactially's posts, search his other threads here and you'll see why I say this. I only mention it because you seem new here and I don't want you to become misguided by, for lack of a better word, a fool. Enjoy entering the world of tubes, they do offer something very enjoyable to music that SS amps simply can not do.

Another great value in a tube integrated is the Cayin TA-30. It puts out 30-35 Watts into 8 ohms, is built like a tank, and sounds great. I use one with monitors rated at 90dB/1W/1m, and I've never listened with the volume past 10 o'clock. There's one listed in the audiogon classifieds currently for $525. I got mine for a similar price, and it is in a different league than the NAD integrated I was using before it.

Agree with Tireguy...Didactically is off base here.

So far, no one (that I know of) has been able to determine that a particular type of measured results always yields the best sound. True, measurements that are far outside accepted norms for the design in question may be suspect, but distortion measurements are less important than commonly believed. Remember the Japanese contest to achieve the lowest THD? Those units sounded like, well, shit.

The best measurement tool made is between your ears. A well engineered tube amp or preamp can yield a wonderfully musical presentation, and it's not due to "coloration".

Search the archives and you'll find plenty of info to assist you in your search.

Have fun!

Tireguy:

I never said any different, except that I personally do not 'enjoy' distortion, even if described in poetic terms.

Also that I have searched for a low distortion tube amp that I would love to integrate into my system if I could find one with enough power to drive the main panels. But all I can find have distortion levels over the top of acceptability, usually 1-2% or more, and even at that typically over a frequency range of 20hz-20khz.

So, I use SS with THD/IMD at <0.005% over a 5hz-100hz frequency range, so as not to distort the music in order to gain some 'pleasent sounding' masking of the actual music.

But that is just me, apparently, and I am sticking to it.