Never Owned a Tube Amp and Want Advice


Hi All, 

I have never owned a tube amplifier before and am planning to purchase one with a minimum of 50 watts per channel to mate with 8 ohm 88 dbl speakers.

My hope is experienced audiogoners will share their expertise regarding how to approach this. While I realize listening is the best way to learn about sound and compatibility; I want to learn a better understanding about brands with less maintenance and longer tube life, how to decide between mono or stereo,can a newbie play with bias or is auto biasing a better first choice, etc.

I would also appreciate what to look for in selecting a used tube amp to identify one that might be in need of repair. For example, with solid state depending on the brand, capacitor replacement can be more of a concern. Any advice on what to look out for or ask about with used tube amps would be appreciated.

A big question I have is how to understand the relationship between power tubes like E34's, 120.s, etc. and, I guess the driver? tubes like 12au7's and 12at7's. That  is to ask which is more critical to the overall sound of the amp? FWIW, I routinely tube roll with my preamps.  

I 've read through a number of threads but maybe someone can point me to good ones I may have missed. 

Thanks for listening,

Dsper
dsper
+1
@pkatsuleas My suggestion would be to get yourself a good tube pre and see how you like it with your DNA 500...

@dsper
Exactly. If you like separates, try this for a while if you want to learn and appreciate the differences a little more.   Allows you to leverage your current DNA-500 on the back end for a while. Add a really nice tube preamp on the front end. Get some good input/driver tubes. Still a bit 2D sounding, but it gets you half way there and its fun to learn how half tube and full tube sounds. 

Then curiosity about full 3D tube sound sets in for some after hearing the tube preamp in the loop awhile with SS amp on the back end. At that point, start eyeballing your future tube amplifier and decent interconnect cables to go along with the all tube setup.  Doing this in steps is fun too.


I own a tube amp and a ss amp. Swap them out to hear the differences and enjoy both greatly. Tube amps are more 'hands on' than ss amps IME. Tube amps also have a few idiosyncrasies that ss amps do not,IMO.
Firstly, what is not really mentioned here ( at least that I could find) is that tube amps are generally more costly to run. One has to budget for expected tube replacement. Also, typically IME the amps run hotter than ss amps. ( particularly Class D ss amps) So, if heat is a concern, and it should be in many parts of the world today, then this needs to be considered. Then we have the biasing scheme required by most tube amps...( unless they are self biasing, which is the way I would STRONGLY recommend you go). I used to own an incredible sounding tube amp, but the biasing protocols were bordering on criminal! This is less common today, but still something to be very much factored in. 
Lastly, expect a tube amp to require more warm-up than the typical ss amp. With a lot of tube amps one has to wait for the tubes to stabilize before listening to music, that generally is not a factor with ss amps. In case it sounds like i am down on tube designs, absolutely NOT, but one has to expect their 'requirements' to get the best sound. ( and that sound is one that I generally think sounds better than the best ss amps, at least that I have heard!).
OP, what is your preamp? Didn't see that mentioned anywhere. My suggestion would be to get yourself a good tube pre and see how you like it with your DNA 500.
I currently use two tubed preamps - CJ 17LS2 and PL Dialogue Premium. In my listening, the CJ is more nuanced and textured while the PL is more forward and analytical. The bass is better with the PL but that may be due to a slight impedance mismatch between the CJ and the DNA - 500. More tube rolling options with the PL, which I have done and can hear with the new Tylers even though they are not broken in yet. 

I also have a McCormack RLD solid state preamp that is not really that bad except it is a bit too smooth and polite for my taste.

My expectation is that a tube amp will improve the imaging, layered sound stage, and sense of aliveness I think I hear when the treble gets better detail without sibilance. 

Thank for listening, 

Dsper



Ok, All I can do is recommend the tube amps that, "I", personally enjoy. Like everything else this is WAY subjective. And the speakers will show the amps differently as well.
But there is more to those which I like than just the sound. And the tube power differential people have talked about? That is a "real", thing. I can't say that I understand it very well. But as the different manufacturers test, rate and also design and build differently? Your going to see a wide range of differences because of that as well!
 I have one pair of mono-blocks that only rates at 4 watts but pushes as well as any 40-50 watt tube amp that I have tried. "Sonance, Opera 300B cyber". And I will say that most tube amps that I have tried rated at 30-50 Wpc  will push as well "IMHO", as most SS amps rated for 100WPC. "Not-withstanding, Pass, Threshold and a few others"!
 My favorite tube amps overall are the "Manley Labs", ALL of the offerings from Manley sound crazy nice and are also built like a tank! And the Biasing is the most user friendly I have ever seen. Marked out for you on the top of the amplifiers themselves. And I believe they even still give you a free multimeter when you purchase them from the factory which is in Ca..
Something i have noticed though in the way you want to power your speakers for the best sound which I have never heard anyone else say before though. When I purchase/use SS amps? Headroom is a GREAT thing. It helps keep the distortion low. Keeps you away from clipping which can destroy some amps very quickly. And is just a good thing all around it seems. With the tube amps? Not so much! You want the amp max, "Where it will clip", To be near your reference listening level. Why?
 Because with a good tube amp that is where most sound there very best! But a SS amp? For most, 
"Again though",
"Not-withstanding, "Pass, Threshold and a few other SS amps, that work a little bit differently", You want that headroom to stay well away from where they clip. That for the best sound you can get from a SS amp. Because distortion from a SS amp is always just horrible noise. 
 I also have to agree with "WolfGarcia", above. The most bang for the buck", I believe would be from "Jolida", Just, now it is named, "Black Ice"!
Black Ice, also has a certain, one Mr. "Jim Fosgate", in the house now. "
"That fellow currently holds more patents than even I! And I believe he's near or even past the ,(Four-Hundred) mark now"! And those patents are all related to audio. Which now, "Black Ice" basically, has free-access to!
 And as far as tubes? they do all sound a bit different. And different as well, each in different gear! The 300B is my favorite, "Output Stage" valve to use. But they can be a bit pricey, even for new tubes currently made!