Are Quicksilver power tube amps in the same league as VAC, VTL, BAT, ARC, ...?


I see that VAC, VTL, BAT, ACR power tube amps are almost twice or more expensive than Quicksilver power tube amps at the same power ratings.
Are Quicksilver power amps as good as twice or more expensive brands?
I am considering power tube amps with 80, 100, or 120Watts power ratings and I just wonder.
I don't have much budget (under 5K) and my choice is either new QS or those other brands used.
If not QS, which brands are best bang for the buck for power tube amps?
I need to drive 87dB speaker, so the power has to be at least 80Watts.
Thanks for your input.
128x128ihcho

It’s a two year old thread, and it was a reasonable question to ask. I’ve enjoyed the vibe and passion of the replies, capital letters and all, members sharing what they like and why. It’s one of the reasons I come to this forum. Its all good.

When I started down the path of buying and trying different tube amplifiers, I overlooked Quicksilver for years and their made 45m away from me. My local audio dealer (in business 53+ years) has been selling Quicksilver and AudioNote as long as anyone in business. What’s amazing is Mike Sanders is still in business, with a loyal following. The value of what he offers far exceeds the entry price.

I wanted to try the new Mono 120s when they came out with the massive quality transformers, and option to run KT150s or KT120s, all the bones where there. In stock form, at the entry price. They were solid. Can they be improved?, sure.

Experiment -

I decided to see what would happen by installing higher end silver-gold Mundorf coupling capacitors, Nichicon Power Capacitors, along with vintage NOS mallard input/driver tubes, and trying some others from new production pavane small tubes to see what can be achieved. While these amps were "too expensive to manufacture" and this along with a few other models have been discontinued, oh what a bargain find+. Just like the early Triodes, and current Mid Monos, the little EL84 integrated, real bargains and value.

Yes - I’ve compared these against amps at 2-3x the price, and the results are great - super happy that I tried this. Nothing has replaced my amps since. Nothing comes close for the investment that can run these tubes [properly], in their operating window. Best of Luck with yours. :)

Czarivey: Agree.   in terms of breaking down the 8407 monos were in a league of their own.  They made me swear off of tube amps forever.

@russellrcncom 

I think that you misunderstood what @czarivey  was saying. He thinks that they are reliable.

"@russellrcncom Czarivey: Agree. in terms of breaking down the 8407 monos were in a league of their own. They made me swear off of tube amps forever."

 

8417 you mean? Not 8407.

After the supply of good 8417 output tubes became more scarce, better than most manufacturers would do, Mike Sanders of Quicksilver offered a $275 service to convert and reconfigure them to EL34 based tube amps. There are folks out there still running the Quicksilver 8417 monos today, originally manufactured 1984-1988.