Seriously considering tube preamp…opinions?

Dod

i don’t know which unit you have but you are spot on. I have the 1a/166

@hilde45

..."Next step would be to continue the idea that a tube/solid state mix is worth a listen.

...Waiting on my Salk Wow1’s."

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Salk Wow1 speakers? The mini monitor 84db 8ohm 48hz speakers, those?

On the first few pages I was perplexed anyone could recommend a preamp/sensitivity or amplifier for you without first understanding what speakers you are acquiring soon. Now i/we can better understand why you mentioned running a "solid state" amp back end with a tube preamp front end.

IMO: The speakers you run partially dictate what amps you can run to get what you want out of the sound, and the amp(s) chosen will match better (sensitivity wise) with some preamps better than others.

Three Questions:

• When visiting the dealers looking around at different preamps/amps are you sharing the specs of your Wow1 speakers with sales folks helping to make recommendations for amps?

• If truly Wow1s, down to 48hz, are you planning to run them with or without a subwoofer? It’s important to know this up front.

• I ran/tested smaller monitors like Wow1s (84-87db Totem Acoustic) for decades and built a few sets with similar Seas components running 200w/300w mosfet solid state amps. Driver control was key. They need the right room too. Have you settled on the solid state amp first (important)?... then select the preamp after.

Amps:
Honestly, I’d ask Jim Salk first about proper amps for these speakers. They can rain or shine with the right amplifier.

Tube Preamps:
Mike Sanders Quicksilver Linestage (specifically, non-remote version) for $1295 with the right vintage input tubes will put a hurting’ on some of the aforementioned $2500+ preamps. Be careful of cheap circuit board preamps unless you can buy a spare board with the preamp at purchase time. Some mfg builders don’t keep spares later.

On Jim’s site, for Wow1s.
Response +/- 3db **48Hz - 20kHz
Sensitivity 84 dB
Impedance 8 ohms
Amplification 100 watts

@decooney Thanks for paying attention to my question. Some answers to yours:

DEALER VISITS: Yes, I’m sharing the specs of my speakers with dealers I visit. So far, I’ve just visited one regarding amplifiers — there, the suggested purchase was Parasound or Prima Luna, because that’s what they carry. The Parasound was nice, but I didn’t like the all-tube PL. I’m not settled yet about tubes because I’ve not heard a hybrid set up. I am trying to stay within $3k for both. Other amps to try with dealers also include Black Ice, Atoll, and Hegel. I can easily get PS Audio stuff mailed to me for a free trial. Same with Schiit. Well, you know about direct sellers, so I’ll stop there.

SUB. Yes. I’ve already purchased a Rel 328 sub to go with any speaker I get. I assume I’ll keep the Salks, but if not, the Rel was a good deal and it can do other jobs if needed.

SETTLED ON AMP. I have not settled on solid state amp — I’ve not settled on anything at all. My plan is to (a) get several speakers first and compare them with the gear I have (which should be sufficient for that purpose) and then (b) make amp comparisons with the selected speaker as the (newly) fixed variable. After that, I’ll (c) do some DAC comparisons (or just freakin’ buy something I can afford). Then, if I’ve become the insane audiophile I think I’m becoming, I’ll subscribe to Exhorbitant Cable Monthly and start that process. ;-)

About the amp, I started another thread about low-sensitivity speakers to see why I should bend over backwards to get an amp for these little speakers. If I change my mind about speakers, that will free me up to re-visit some of the suggestions on this thread that weren't quite aligned with the parameters of my question.

SALK. I have asked Jim Salk via email. Here was the good answer I got from Salk: "I would look for a minimum of about 100 watts for solid state and 30 watts for a tube amp (the more the better in both cases). The reason is that the way these amps clip is different. The solid state amp will be linear until it reaches its maximum output and then clip, becoming overly bright and edgy. As you increase the gain (volume) with a tube amp, it is linear to a point near its maximum output. As you increase it further, it acts somewhat like a compressor and simply limits the maximum output. So it is “soft” clipping as opposed to “hard” clipping. For that reason, you can get by with less wattage with tube amps. People who love tube amps love the liquid-smooth midrange they provide. But they don’t have quite as tight a grip on the bass. If you want tighter bass, then solid state becomes more attractive. The bottom line, then, becomes “what is more important to you...liquid smooth performance or tight bass performance.” Other than that, as long as the basic amp design is good, wattage becomes the most important (since amps are very accurate compared to speakers)."

Finally, Quicksilver comes up often. I appreciate hearing that you also like it. I’m making a note. (I have a huge chart.)

Thanks again for your post.

If you can do without remote a c-j Classic 2SE is in your price range, this is a seriously good value used....Quicksilver Audio makes 2 preamps in your price range, one is remote the other is not. Quicksilver gear is all point to point wiring. To me this is more important with a tube amp, I have had amps where the circuit trace was damaged when a cathode resistor failed following a tube failure.  P2P is often easier to repair.    Prima Luna is nice sounding gear, dont get me wrong.  I auditioned my speakers on several amps one being a PL el34 but two things turned me off . Made in China and distributed by Kevin Deal.   I couldnt even get that guy to return my call to buy something, and im talking several emails and three conversations with his staff ,what about after sale support?   No thanks.

I think if you are going to buy new you should check out Quicksilver. Its made in usa, point to point wiring, excellent build quality. I have a pair of QS amps and they are awesome, sound great, super reliable.
Three year warranty... I just bought the new QS headphone amp, sight unseen because I know it will be worth every penny.

That’s great, @oddiofyl . I will go look for those -- very simple unit. I suppose that keeps costs low and noise out. (Was looking at Parasound and what a difference in the feature set. I suppose one just goes a different direction with these sort of things.) Will look for the CJ, too.

I suppose QS can advise about a solid state amp, too. I think that's the combo I'd want.

One additional question occurs -- if down the road, the QS doesn’t seem right for my evolving system, how’s are they to re-sell? Do people want them or are they niche/hard to sell?