When were the best tube amps made?


And what were they?

1980's Audio Research need not apply. 

erik_squires

The question finally goes down with today or past.

When we talk about tube amplifiers, we should  be more focused on music. When we listen the music, what is important? If we are talking about the  enjoyment of the music, and whether matter it is the original sound, then I vote for today 's amplifier. Otherwise, it is definitely belongs to the past.

Interesting topic,and I will add more. If the amplifier make the sound more beauty, and it looks like not the real one. I call the declaration of sound. Do you like or dislike? Let me be clear, there is no wrong or right. It is your choice, and I just dislike that kind of sound. Someone do, as far as I know. So it becomes the huge background when we talk the best tube amplifiers.

When I had Spendor 2/3 speakers I liked these speakers in combination with McIntosh MC30 monoblocks from 1950x. Than I moved on to high sensitive speakers Altec 604E I recognised that 30 Watt push-pull is too rough for such speakers.

I decided to go to 300B SET DIY amplifier. For high sensitive speakers SET sound much more refined and transparent and not less musical than McIntosh. 

After living 17 years with high sensitivity speakers, I will never go back to low sensitivity. As a result, high power tube amplifiers are no longer interesting to me.
 

Modern tube types, like KT 120, KT 150, and KT 170 deliver more power, but to my taste, they don’t sound that good.  I like much lower power alternatives, but of course that means having speakers suited to lower power.  I will take a modern or vintage 6L6 or KT 66 amp over amps capable of running higher power types.