@tvad and @almarg Thanks for the feedback. It seemed like no big deal to Jim, and it makes so much sense from the what you've said. It really was when I made a decision to listen in a larger room and then broke out a spreadsheet (where I listed the costs and details of speakers and the amps needed to drive them -- and then mixed and matched the costs) that I saw that there was no serious economic downside to making a change. The Pass Labs sounds like a good deal, but I think I'll also follow another piece of advice I got which is to "live with the speakers" for a while before trying to match it to an amp. I have some Adcom stuff which will be just fine until it's time to find a deal on an amp.
Seriously considering tube preamp…opinions?
Tube virgin, here. I am building a system and I'm trying to contain the preamp/amp cost to $3k or so. (I could go up a little.)
I'm inclined not to dive into tubes all the way through, but get a solid state on the output end. (Open to suggestions; inclined toward PS Audio, Parasound.) I'm reading around about tube preamps and have talked with my local dealer, who sells Black Ice/Jolida and Prima Luna (PL). He used to carry Rogue but said they kept coming back for repairs. That's why he carries PL.
I'm asking these questions after having established (via reviews, comments) that Schiit gear is quite the value. Lately, I've been reading about Decware and other small tube makers. I'm very curious about buying direct, if possible, and a company that stands behind their products is crucial.
So, your opinions about tube integrated or *especially* tube preamps —
1. Who do you like? Consider I want to do pre/amp for a total of $3k if possible.
2. Do you think PL is worth all that money just for a preamp? I get the feeling they're high quality but a bit over-hyped. (No disrespect to the highly passionate Kevin Deal, but he's all over my search results.) And what would you think about $2k/$1k preamp-to-amp spending ratio?
3. Any sense of what happened to Jolida since the name change to "Black Ice"? I see there's a sordid story there but did the re-branding clear up the mess? Any experiences with the Black Ice company?
4. I know there are many Schiit fans out there; so my question would be -- did anyone consider Schiit for tube preamp and go another way? Or move beyond Schiit for any particular reason? It's hard not to just capitulate and do a Freya+ or Saga+ but why wouldn't one just go with Schiit?
I'm inclined not to dive into tubes all the way through, but get a solid state on the output end. (Open to suggestions; inclined toward PS Audio, Parasound.) I'm reading around about tube preamps and have talked with my local dealer, who sells Black Ice/Jolida and Prima Luna (PL). He used to carry Rogue but said they kept coming back for repairs. That's why he carries PL.
I'm asking these questions after having established (via reviews, comments) that Schiit gear is quite the value. Lately, I've been reading about Decware and other small tube makers. I'm very curious about buying direct, if possible, and a company that stands behind their products is crucial.
So, your opinions about tube integrated or *especially* tube preamps —
1. Who do you like? Consider I want to do pre/amp for a total of $3k if possible.
2. Do you think PL is worth all that money just for a preamp? I get the feeling they're high quality but a bit over-hyped. (No disrespect to the highly passionate Kevin Deal, but he's all over my search results.) And what would you think about $2k/$1k preamp-to-amp spending ratio?
3. Any sense of what happened to Jolida since the name change to "Black Ice"? I see there's a sordid story there but did the re-branding clear up the mess? Any experiences with the Black Ice company?
4. I know there are many Schiit fans out there; so my question would be -- did anyone consider Schiit for tube preamp and go another way? Or move beyond Schiit for any particular reason? It's hard not to just capitulate and do a Freya+ or Saga+ but why wouldn't one just go with Schiit?
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Look like the 6M are nice speakers. I noticed Salk's Exoctia monitors used Seas drivers but they are about $6000. Those would probably be closer to the Joseph Audio sound since he uses Seas though different models. If you can find a McIntosh dealer around try their hybrid MA 252 with those speakers. |
@hilde45 hilde45, That's smart to touch base with Jim before deciding on amps, those who design and build speakers typically know what matches up well. The 6Ms appear to be using the nice Satori Berrylium tweeters and Satori Papyrus woofers, a bit lively between 100-1000hz, could sound very musical for you. I was using similar mid-woofer drivers in a few builds a few years back, to achieve a nice balanced and neutral tone. Of course it's in the crossover too but they are decent drivers he's using there. A friend has played with Satori drivers in some affordable speaker builds he felt turned out to be pretty good too. They hit right in the hi-fi value pocket too. >>With a really good preamp/amp or really great integrated amplifier<< I'm sure you'd be pleased with the 6Ms. While I know Jim says a 30w tube amps will work in a 30x30 room, it truly depends on the level of tube amplifier too. See what amp he recommends at 30w first... :) David, If it were me, I would not under-buy on equivalent amplification for these speakers in order to yield their true potential. These could also turn out to be good long-term speakers for you too. |
- 354 posts total