Going Tubing

Bimmerlover,

I'd suggest starting with a tube preamp, you get a lot of the benefit without the complexity of a tube amp. I can highly recommend: Backert Labs Rhumba Extreme (1.3 or 1.4), and the BAT VK-80.....they were part of my listening journey when choosing a tube preamp a few months ago.

In the end I chose an Aric Audio Motherlode XL (I need XLR connections), but his Super 6SN7 linestage is also remarkable at around $4,000. My friend chose the BAT VK-80, and I was down to the Backert and the Aric Audio.....I chose the Aric Audio because it is 6SN7 based, and I really like Aric Kimball and his company

They are GoldenEar One.Rs

op

i trust you have seen this useful review of your speakers, where the (pretty good) reviewer uses three different amps with them, two of which are tubed... the two, a leben, represents a somewhat more classically tubey sound, and the lta amp a more modern tube sound - he is pretty articulate in his writing about how the music is presented with the different amps thru these speakers

maybe this will help further inform you in your consideration

i would say the best way (cost effective, and just plain ol effective) to experience tube sound in your system is to get a decent tube integrated... buy it used, and resell it if it doesn’t float your boat

Thanks again for all the advice and recommendations. This truly is a very engaged and knowledgeable audiophile community!

So, I ended up heeding this thread’s frequent advice to start off with a tube pre-amp and found a used PrimaLuna DiaLogue Premium pre-amp in great shape that I hope will serve me well.

This way I am keeping my Emotiva XDA-2 differential power amp and thus don’t have to worry about matching a tube (power/integrated) amp with my GE One.R speakers, etc., yet still allows me to play around with the (gain) tubes on the pre-amp if or as I so choose.

Thanks again for all insights and advice.