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To Tube or not to Tube......

For quite some time now I've been thinking about switching from a solid state to a tube power amp. My Threshold T-100 has been real good to me and I do like it, but it's really the only "high-end" amp I've ever owned, so it's all I know. I'm intrigued by the "warm" sound of tubes and do have a tubed phono amp and CD player, but I am by no means well-versed in the sound of tube power amps having never really auditioned one. I know that goes against the prevailing wisdom and I should listen before I buy, but I don't think I will have the luxury of doing that.

That being said, I've gone through about 20 pages of this forum reading about the benefits and detriments of tubed power amps but nothing I've read has swayed me either way. The posts I've read have been informative re: bias issues, reliability, blowing fuses or whatever else might blow up or go wrong with the tubs, etc. So, if I were to go the tube route, I would not want deal with too much of that hassle. At lease I know that the amp I have doesn't have any such issues. That's why I was leaning toward amps like BAT with their auto biasing (I also need balanced inputs), and would want at least 60-100 wpc. I would be willing to deal with adjusting bias so long as it was a relatively simple process.

I figured I would pose my main question to the exerts here (and this I did learn for this forum): given what I already have in my system, what tube amp would be a good match for me? My pre-amp is a SS Threshold, JM Lab speakers with a "minimum impedance of 4 Ohms," EAR 834P phono stage, & Unison tube cd player.
Much appreciated.
ebuzz
jedinite24's avatar
jedinite24
1,503 posts
 
Hi Ebuzz

Regarding the new Jolida 1000P vs the "excellent condition" ARC VS 115 with 2 sets of tubes, one set brand new. Say you were to buy the Jolida new with warranty etc and you find you don't like the music from your system with the Jolida in place when you sell it you may lose a lot of money on the re-sale. Wolf showed me a listing of a black Jolida 502P that wasn't that old sell for $650 + shipping at an auction. The 502P sells for about $990 new. With the ARC VS115 since you are buying it used you may be able to re-sell it for close to what you bought it for keeping the loss to a minimum. You could even sell off the extra set of tubes for some extra money. Sorry if you knew this already but it is something I would consider if I was in your situation.
ebuzz OP
104 posts
 
Warranty ...Warranty!! that's the only issue now for me to work on. I do like the idea of the security a warranty offers, but Jedi & Wolf do have a good points. I gotta do this SOON!
Maybe I'll just flip a coin!!
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Jedinite24 makes a good case in economic terms for the used ARC. The question is which sound presentation will be more to your taste and long term happiness? The Jolida isn't expensive and is said to really respond to rolling better tubes(with ARC your limited to the 6H30 input tube only). I wouldn't down play the ease of the Jolida's tube biasing either.
A strong case can be made for both amplifiers.
ebuzz OP
104 posts
 
Be a Man! OK, someone step up to the plate, be a man and tell me what the HELL to do! :)

Jolida: pros: New; Easy bias; EL-34 tubes (ppl have said my
JM lab speakers tend to be a bit "bright"
so the 34's may sound better than 6550's)
cons: ?

ARC: pros: resale value; higher quality? extra tubes
name recognition?
cons: no warranty, $845 more
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
For me it comes down to what sonic characteristics are you seeking? Speaking in generalities based on my listening the ARC has a leaner sound than most tube amplifiers. Some attribute that partially to the use of the 6H30 as input tube. Some say this is good and the ARC has more clarity and transparency, some say it's more neutral. I suspect that the Jolida is relatively speaking a bit warmer and fuller in body and tone. Jolida has more opportunities to tailor the sound due to much broader choices in the input/driver tubes. So what type of sound would you be more attracted to? There are good choices of el34 tubes for variety of sonic character as well.
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