2. amps-preamps
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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
jollygreenaudiophile2's avatar
jollygreenaudiophile2
275 posts
 
"Wolf_Garcia", said,
   clear as a bell using a 12wpc or so little SEP amp...no clue how hard I'm pushing the little amp (it gets loud...sometimes...often
"12" whole watts?
Whoa,  Why such a powerful amp?
I still love my "4" watt, PSE mono-blocks. Now nicknamed "The Twin Beasts".
 And with 132+Lbs. between them?
 It works out to 16.5Lbs. of amplifier, per "1" whole watt!
You helped me out with those a couple of years ago Wolf!
Remember? "The one's with the 300B's".
 Still pushing the same 98DB speakers too. A "purely resistive load".
 And thanks again for the help!

Um, just to say. From now on?
  I believe that I'll taking "Ralph's", word on it......
dsper OP
664 posts
 
What you will/may notice when a tube amp is driving a speaker with low impedance dips is an uneven frequency response, e.g. the speakers may sound "bright".
I read this comment again and realize I probably ignored the the second part of the comment about how this could make the speakers sound bright.

This got me to thinking and I re-examined my setup one more time. To make a long story short, I finally realized that while I was moving equipment in and out, I had moved my Synergistic Research interconnects from their customary location between the DAC and the the Preamp. I moved them back and the sibilance is greatly reduced.

Thanks for listening,

Dsper



dsper OP
664 posts
 
millercarbon wrote: If your $1k table isn't kicking butt on your DAC its not the table. Its the setup, or your choices (AT? Really?).
The rewired tone arm and new interconnects from KABUSA have really improved the sound of the Technics table. Still not sure it is better than the DAC/Transport. 

The Audio Technica cartridge could be part of my problem as I was not knowledgeable about tone arm and cartridge compatibility. I would have to admit the AT cartridge is a bad match for the light weight Technics tone arm. Anyone interested in a AT150MLX cartridge?

Anyway, I am going every way at once now. I think I need to decide, for sure, that the new speakers are keepers; and then understand what other tube amps sound like with the speakers.

Thanks for listening and thanks for everyone's advice, which I hope keeps coming.

Dsper
 


dsper OP
664 posts
 
mesch wrote"... and have a better understanding of what I am actually looking for in a system."
I could not agree more as the new speakers and tube amp have opened my eyes. I have definitively learned that I value soundstage width and depth, and tonal textures, more than seeing the "spit on the microphone" detail that I was getting with the Thiels. The Tyler Acoustics speakers, combined with my room and setup, have largely disappeared in my room. I am listening to music and not just speakers. 
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,174 posts
 
^^Good- that's how its supposed to work :)

The Audio Technica cartridge could be part of my problem as I was not knowledgeable about tone arm and cartridge compatibility. I would have to admit the AT cartridge is a bad match for the light weight Technics tone arm. Anyone interested in a AT150MLX cartridge?

The stylus often suffers in older cartridges- the suspension in the cantilever can perish whether the cartridge is used or not. At that point it will sound tipped up in the treble and harsher/more sibilant than it should. If the cartridge is also a poor match for the arm that certainly isn't helping things! I use an older SL1200 in the recording studio to play back cuts we have made on the LP mastering setup. I use a Grado Gold in that arm and it seems to work quite well with it- tracks well, smooth and detailed.



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