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Old or new gear

Greetings,

I am trying to buy my first tube amplifier. Budget is about $2500-3500. I am not very good at doing electrical work myself and do not intend to restore/repair/update the equipment myself. No time for another hobby. 

Looking to get something very reliable to use for years to come. I tend to keep my equipment for a long time, and do not upgrade things frequently. Trouble free listening is the goal. US made (or Japan or western Europe) would be really nice. Looked at Chinese models, but decided not to go that route, although there are many very good quality brands with great reviews. The top of the line Chinese units are not much cheaper than US made ones, through.

For that money, I am looking for something like quicksilver mid monos or decware MK4, brand new, both made in US, with good reviews as far as build quality and reliability goes.
.
Alternatively, there are amps here on Agon, such as CJ, Cary, VPI 299d, VTL de luxe 300,  VAC rebaissance 30/30 MK3, all used, about 10-15 years old, some in mint conditions with low hours, under or around 3K.

I am looking more for good sound and reliability than a specific amp type (pp vs SE) or output tube design.

Any advice? Again, not looking to resell but this is always a consideration as well (never know what the future holds). Main concern is quality and long term reliability.
Are there better transformers, caps, resistors etc... now than 10-15 years ago? Again, not looking to upgrade anything myself and do not have the time to spend in repair shops.

Thanks for your advice.


sophie999
sophie999 OP
29 posts
 

Thanks.

@yogiboy: Thinking of getting Schiit saga and Behringer DAC. Alternatively, may go with SS Emotiva T-100 and call it a day. Not decided yet.

@jperry : Looked at LM, Opera, Cayin. Wanted their 845 with 300B drivers, but those are over 5K, and tuces are expensive although last longer. Feel like if you get a bit over 1K, the price difference between comparable Chinese and US builds is very small. Chinese are clearly more affordable and offer more options under 1K price range. Over that, parts alone are quite pricey. Labor costs become less important proportionally. Would prefer US made amp for extra few hundred. Also prefer PTP over PCB for ease of any future repairs/upgrades.

kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 
At the risk of stating the obvious, the choice of the amplifier ultimately depends greatly on the speakers that they’ll be driving, particularly if you are considering a tube design. The preamp is another consideration, maybe to a lesser degree but important nonetheless. For example, the 300B/845/2a3 designs need very efficient partnering speakers otherwise you’ll be disappointed. Did you mention what speakers you own?
sophie999 OP
29 posts
 
I should have stated this at the beginning. I have Polks LSI 15 towers, 88dB. I do not listen loud at all, mostly pop and classical.
Medium sized bedroom is where it goes. Imagine would need at least 20wpc to get anywhere. New 300B+805/845 amps have 30-40wpc in SET mode. But as I mentioned, everything in this category is expensive for me.
czarivey
5,946 posts
 
I am trying to buy my first tube amplifier. Budget is about $2500-3500. I am not very good at doing electrical work myself and do not intend to restore/repair/update the equipment myself. No time for another hobby.
No good for tube amp. At least you need to know when to replace tubes and on some units you need to know how to bias (usually instructions are in the manuals or available to download online).

 The lowest maintenance required tube amps are Quicksilver (not done in China yet for good vibes:)) and it's the BEST starter amp period. Depending on speaker of your choice, you can choose within your budget the right one. I'm fan of M60 that can accommodate different power tubes such as KT90, 6550, KT66 etc, but there's a newer version and perhaps you've mentioned that one.... 

Spend little to no attention on type of amp operation weather it's push-pull or single-ended or sepp or SET. All you need to know is your speakers, your room and power speakers require.

twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,318 posts
 
Have a look at Audio by Van Alstine's offerings.  He does an updated Dynaco as well as various other highly recommendable models.
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