Sounds like what you are looking for is definitely a tube setup. With those speaker choices you are in good shape. Lots of good info provided already. I will chime in with my two tube experiences. I had a Jolida 502 brc (entry-level for sure) with 6550 tubes pushing about 60 watts. Loved the imaging, soundstage, and midrange texture. But, not enough oomph for my Snell speakers. So, went up to a Rogue Atlas 100 watt amp using KT-120 tubes. Much better dynamics and bass but not as good in the imaging, soundstage, and midrange dept IMO. Still very enjoyable though. I have heard el34 based systems that blew me away with their midrange and palpability so maybe that is where you should look.
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@scotthiga That is what I would have guessed. You are looking for more meat on the bones. The warmth and humanity of tubes! In my limited experience, the bigger push pull tube amps brought me closer to solid state. So I went from a 14 tube amp down to a 3 tube SET amp and then I understood what tubes were all about. That is not to say there are not push-pull tube amps that can pull off a similar feat--I just don't know which ones to suggest. I can say that my Erhard Ray provides exactly what you are looking for in terms of sound quality. But it may not have enough power or features. Driving a pair of Omega monitors, 4 wpc is plenty of power for me, especially after I added a pair of REL 5/tx subs. While I love my primary system, I have to say that this little tube based system is wonderful to listen to. Highly suggest you consider used gear so you can experiment a bit without taking much of a financial hit. If the first one doesn't quite deliver the goods, you can move on. I would also bet that which amp you like best will hinge on which one of your speakers it is driving.
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You have gotten a lot of very good suggestions. I would add looking at amps made by Boyuurange Reisong to the list -- especially the A50 MKIII 300B and the A10 EL34. Both are built like a tank, a ridiculous value (you could buy both and spend less than $1,800), and allow you to "test the waters" of tube amplification without taking out a second mortgage. The big caveat, however, is the low output. These amps will work fine with your Heresy's, and should be OK with the Omega's. I am using Polk Audio Monitor 10's with the A10 EL34 and it sounds excellent. The A10 is only around 6 watts per channel. The Dennis Had gear I mention below could not push the Polk Audio's, but I also have Klipsch Forte II's and Heresy's from the early 1980's which is perfect with the Had gear. The Reisong amps make the Klipsch sound like butter.
I already had a McIntosh MC-225 from 1963 paired with an ARC preamp, and a Dennis Had Inspire 45 "Fire Bottle" paired with a Had LP3.1 Preamp. I wanted a low cost tube integrated for a bedroom system that I was putting together. The Reisong’s were perfect choices for my situation. They have been my only experience with "Chi-Fi", and I have not had a single problem over the 5 years of ownership. Happy shopping! |
In the exact price range as the Willsenton R8 is the Muzishare X7 KT88. Some electronic techs who know tube gear examined both and some said the Muzishare might be a touch better and safer. Tubes can obviously be expensive, but they don't have to be. There are new tubes being made that reviewers do like such as the PSVANE Horizon tubes. What seems to separate a "good" tube amp from a "great" one are the transformers used, the quality of switches, rotary bias and volume controls and how well negative feedback is used to lower distortion. |
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