Integrated Tube Around $1000

Why would anyone compare a 100wpc tube amp that cost $3,500 three years ago (Music Ref) to one that's 35 wpc and costs $1,000 (Primaluna)? Sure, the prof reviews say the Primaluna is comparable to amps in that price range but it all comes down to your wallet and system matching (at least for most). Looks like Classic's experience indicates Totems are a hard drive. I believe him. Classic95, what makes you think the build quality of Chinese made gear is worse? I've read just as many issues about build quality with respect to Jolida's *and* Cary, for example. The Primaluna needs a few years to stand the test of time but it looks immaculate.

Well I have a Jolida 202 home for a test run. After the kids are in bed it will get warmed up and ready to go. It's a stock model.

Wes I suspect that you are right about the Chinese makes being of lower quality than American or European. And in time I hope to make the step up to a better amp. And on a deeper level it's a good idea to support local manufacturers. I do have Canadian made amps, as well as my CD player, and I have a set of Canadian made speakers. (I live in Ontario). I guess I'm looking at Chinese makes because they are cheaper and apparently of decent quality.

I'm looking forward to enjoying tubes.

all the best

matthew

Matt:

To your last point, I did not get that most responders felt that the Chinese made gear was of lower quality when compared to the European and American made gear (it was only Wes/Classic 95). At your stated price point of $1000, which manufacturers compete at this level these days? At best, you might see something made in Japan ... otherwise it is only Pacific Rim manufacturers.

As to supporting "local manufacturers" ... where do you think your ADCOM preamp is made or has been made for the last 17 years? So many of your British brands ... NAD, Monitor Audio, EPOS, Quad (L series), Cambridge Audio, Arcam (receivers), etc. ... are designed in the UK, made in China. Even Musical Fidelity is manufacturing its X-can line in China now.

It makes for curious discussions in A'gon ... for when it comes to solid state components, we are OK with gear that is made off-shore, but when it comes to tubes, we get into this 70's "local manufacturer" mind-set.

In any event, I hope that your Jolida works out for you.

Regards, Rich

Rich

I didn't mean that the Chinese work is bad, just that it could be of lower quality. Only a hunch though, I don't know for certain. But that being said I think it is good value for the money and worth purchasing. You are right about the Adcom and my Tube Buffer. And I will almost certainly buy Chinese work.

Anyways, back to the Jolida. Things went pretty well. The match was better with the Dynaudios. The tubes added a warm feel to their detailed sound. It was only one night so far but I was suitably impressed. The mids were much better, and the rest was equal to my solid state set-up.

The Totems didn't work out quite as well but the match was decent. The mids were the strong point but the bass wasn't as poor as I thought it would be. It was the high frequencies on instruments such as trumpet that were sub-par. But it was something I can live but I will probably dedicate the Totems to my Solid State and have the floorstanders go Tube.

With the Totems I had the gain up to 3/4 and that meant the sound was a bit loud for me. Before that it sounded like I wasn't getting the full features of my monitors. But with the Dynaudios the gain was just below the half way mark and they were performing well without making me want to sit further back.

I ended up staying up to the wee hours and having a great time. I'm looking forward to making a purchase soon. Although I haven't heard one yet, I'm leaning towards the Prima Luna due to the positive reviews from purchasers and reviewers but I think I can also do well with a modified Jolida.

matthew