2. amps-preamps
  3. 148295-11347

Looking for an integrated tube amp under $2500

I’m in the market for either a used or new tube integrated amp to drive my Lawrence Audio Violin SE speakers which have an AMT tweeter. These speakers have a sensitivity of 88db and minimum impedance of 6.4 ohms. The amp should sound warm and smooth without any treble glare. The amp must be also reliable since my previous amp visited the repair shop 3 times in 4 years. I do prefer it come in black and must be 7" or less. I appreciate any recommendations.
128x128ronrags
rollintubes
84 posts
 
I would be careful of a Rogue. They are known to be hard on tubes. The Prima Luna will last much, much longer before needing tube replacement.

Rollin
wolf_garcia
6,695 posts
 
Jolida amps rarely if ever get reviewed, and as a fan of my trusty 502p power amp (sold it when I switched to a single ended design), I can vouch for the quality of these things, and they're much less expensive by a large margin relative to other similar tube amps out there...great stuff, and a tube rollers funhouse.
ronrags's avatar
ronrags OP
281 posts
 

@rollintubes

I'm also concerned since the Rogue outputs 100w with the stock KT120 and the PL only 40w. Since I'll be using KT77 tubes, per Rogue the bias will be reduced from 35 to 30 but I'm thinking of reducing it further to 25. While auditioning the Rogue at the dealer with the KT77 installed, we listened at both 25 and 30 at no apparent sound differences. Would it be practical to reduce the bias to 25 and prolong the tube life?


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