2. amps-preamps
  3. 159356-13968

What tube amp for Harbeth 40.1

I am looking for a tube amp for Harbeth 40.1.  I know many suggest SS amp such as Accuphase, Luxman, Hegel, McIntosh ... etc for Harbeth, but I decided to keep it with tube.  I also don’t think I need a lot of power.  I currently have a 8W custom built 300B and had a 18W Almarro 318B, and to me, they sound fine.  However, I think more power will help, and I never know what I missed until I try it out.  Having said that, I don’t think I need crazy power.  Anything 30-80W is good enough for me.  I am 3m away from the speakers, listen to Jazz at avg 83dB.

i have the following short list:
1) PrimaLuna Evo 400 integrated
2) Leben CS600X 
3) Linear Tube Audio Z40

Which one do people like with Harbeth?  Any other suggestion?

Among all qualities, I value holographic presentation the most.  I really like the feeling as if the singer is floating in front of me, if you know what I mean.  And my current 300B do pretty well in this regards, and I read this is what SET amps are good at.  Will I be disappointed with the above?
Thanks.
gte357s
cd318
2,636 posts
 
A few reminders may be necessary before making the jump to tubes.

1 Alan Shaw himself is unlikely to recommend a tube amp.

@paulfolbrecht asked earlier,

'Have you seen the video where and where A. Shaw demonstrates that the big Harbeths easily pull 500W on transients?'

In that video Shaw himself was shocked at just how much current his M40 speakers were drawing on  certain transients. Yes, a peak of 750 watts!

[Not recommended viewing for anyone with low power tube and low efficiency speakers].

How Much Amplifier Power Do I Really Need?

https://youtu.be/Y3WpRY-EtX8



2 No tube amp is likely to have the same dramatic bass punch as a powerful SS amp will. That's not why people buy tube amps.


Having got that out of the way, if you still want a tube amp then I'd also suggest the Leben CS600. 

There are many accounts of satisfied owners using them with Harbeth speakers. See the Harbeth forum for more details.

Furthermore, the Leben amp is such a gorgeous work of art in itself that it should always bring you pleasure before you even switch it on.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,116 posts
 
No tube amp is likely to have the same dramatic bass punch as a powerful SS amp will. That's not why people buy tube amps.
These days most solid state amps have output impedances so low that they overdamp the loudspeaker; no speaker made needs more than 20:1 damping factor and many work better with less. An overdamped speaker exhibits a coloration that many call 'tight bass'. Yes, there is some punch but you really don't get much in the way of definition. Tight bass is something you hear in stereos quite a bit but its really hard to find in real life. In a nutshell in their zeal to create the perfect voltage source, amplifier designers far outstripped speaker designs in this regard!
aj523
384 posts
 
@cd318
That is a cool video! Interestingly when he actually played a recorded song as opposed to a test CD, the max power peaked at like 30 watts. So as they said you really have to take into account distance, listening levels, types of music you like to play and then match an amp to those personal characteristics.

Why should that rule out a carefully selected tube amp? Well...

Well yes on the HARBETH private forum (HUG), they humiliate anyone who wants to go tube. Basically the message is don’t need to spend a lot on amps, just buy the most watts you can even Class D over tubes. I bucked that trend and have the 40.2 Annies with the LTA z40 and it sounds glorious to me but what do I know...i listen with the grilles off, another big no no you will get ostracized over. Probably going to LTA Ref monoblocks which will get me almost 100 wpc at 6 ohms the minimum impedance.
jtcf's avatar
jtcf
1,620 posts
 
I'm running my Harbeth C7ES with an Aric Audio Transcend Push Pull amp with either KT88 or KT150 tubes(45 and 65watts).I also tried them with a pair of QuickSilver mid monos w/EL34,KT88,and KT150.The KT150s have the biggest liveliest sound,the 88s are good too.As expected,the EL34s run out of steam rather quickly.Personally,I prefer the tube amps over the 120 watt ss CJ amp I tried also.
IMHO the Harbeth 'house sound' puts you a few rows back as opposed to front row as far as dynamic swing and transients whether ss or tube.If I were in the market I would give one of the LTA amps a try.I have one of their preamps that I am extremely happy with.Just my two cents:-)
yogiboy's avatar
yogiboy
5,864 posts
 
Any Harbeth that I have owned sounded great with Quicksilver amps!!
http://quicksilveraudio.com/amplifiers/
More to discover