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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?




128x128hilde45
hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
4,974 posts
 
@lalitk I didn't mean to put words in your mouth or be disputatious! 

You said:
Less than 96dB, say 92dB efficiency SS amp is the way to go. Some full range speakers even dip down to 2-3 ohms load, for those you need a good wattage power amp to handle the peaks.
I really want to get an amp that can comfortably drive my 90db speakers and your statement seems to direct me away from the amps I'm presently looking at. (Maybe this requires more details about my speakers and I'm over-reading your comment.) 

I am still learning about the relationship between power and speaker sensitivity, but I've learned enough to know why your question about 8W SET amps is funny! 

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almarg's avatar
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
+1 Tvad. That has been my experience as well.

Assuming, as you alluded to, that the specific tube amp and the specific speakers are good matches. And in that regard it should be kept in mind that different tube amps differ widely in terms of output impedance, and correspondingly in terms of damping factor, while most solid state amps have near zero output impedances and relatively high damping factors. Thus for a given speaker some tube amps providing a given power capability may be suitable matches, while others providing the same power capability may not be.

In general, speakers having relatively high nominal impedances and/or relatively small variations of impedance as a function of frequency (i.e., relatively flat impedance curves) tend to be less critical in that regard than speakers not meeting those criteria. My impression is that the Salk speakers hilde45 has ordered fall into the less critical part of that spectrum, although I haven’t seen an impedance curve for them.

So choosing the right tube amp for a given speaker involves a bit more complexity than choosing a solid state amp, but if chosen properly the results can be very rewarding.

Best regards,
-- Al

hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
4,974 posts
 
@almarg @tvad  I think that resolves the indeterminacy in question. Thx.
lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,558 posts
 
+1, tvad and almarg.

@hilde45.
Only you know what kind of sound you’re after. In reading your various threads, it seems you’re building your audio system from ground up for the long haul by considering amp, preamp, DAC and so on.

My post about high efficiency speakers is directly related to your bullet point about preamp/amp combination, Tube/SS is much more advisable than SS/Tube. I was merely suggesting that high efficiency speakers are much easier to drive thus giving you larger pool to cherry pick your choice of amplification at reasonable price point.

If you haven’t thought about replacing your 90db speakers, now is the time to do so before you decide on the amplifier. 
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