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Is it possible to buy a decent tube amplifier in the $2000-3000 range?

I have very efficient vintage  Dalquist DQ 20 speakers.
Am currently running them with monoblock NuForce class D amps.
Also vintage Conrad-Johnson PV 11 preamp.
Any suggestions, new or used for tube amp in the $2000-3000 range.

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glennewdick's avatar
glennewdick
1,702 posts
 

check out Finale Audio out of Toronto they are the sister company to Triode Labs. all made in north America with many options for upgrades like better transformers (think Hashimoto,James ect). I seem like a fan boy of their stuff lately but I've been extremely surprised and satisfied with an integrated from them. Finale has stuff starting in your budget and sometimes you seen them on here for a deal from the manufacturer like demo or show units. they put the money into the parts not the case work by the way all very simple steel chassis painted nicely though. tubes, transformers etc all exposed as they should be.  

soundsrealaudio's avatar
soundsrealaudio
756 posts
 
In that price range I would go tubes. They always sounds much more powerful then solid state amps. In addition you can get to the heart of the music. 
zavato's avatar
zavato
1,405 posts
 
Rogue is a very good sounding amplifier. 

FWIW, I owned tubed gear for years- First a CJ amp, then Rogue. For the last 4 years I have owned Pass gear. Don't miss tubes one bit with the Pass stuff. Absolutely nothing missing musically. 

I do not agree that tubed gear sounds more powerful at equal ratings. What I think is going on is 2 things for anyone who hears it that way- 1- Damping factor- tubed gear tends to have low damping factor which can make the bass sound more robust and conversely, solid state bass can sound very tight, albeit lean. So, I am no fan of insanely high damping factors. 2- Clipping- tubes usually distort more gracefully. An overdriven tubed amp is going to sound better than an overdriven solid state amp. 
inna
7,296 posts
 
Overdriven amp is never a good idea, either ss or tube, even if the latter can be more tolerable. Amp should always have reserves of current and power. 
rvpiano's avatar
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rvpiano OP
2,669 posts
 
I investigated Rogue amplifiers.  There is a hybrid tube/class D "Hydra" model for about $3000 that I'm considering.  
Any opinions?
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