2. amps-preamps
  3. 1386256823

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
bifwynne
2,206 posts
 
Thank you Jedinite .... As I have mentioned on numerous occasions, I do not recommend brands because there are many fine brands to choose from on the market and subjective opinions and tastes vary. Indeed, sometimes folks have expressed their views and opinions quite dogmatically. I will only say that I am very pleased with the sound and performance of my ARC gear.

Having said that, it is important to reiterate that one should be circumspect about matching gear, especially amps and speakers. In this regard, I admit that my choice of amp and speakers was *NOT* the result of a conscious, deliberate and informed decision.

If you catch my posts over the last several years, it will be quite evident that I came to my current set-up through dumb luck and not much more. Fortunately, my ARC Ref 150, even though a tube amp, can handle my speakers, which were designed and voiced to be driven by a high power/current SS amp. That speaks more to the Ref 150 than me. :(

In addition, I think that there is much to be said about equipment synergy. In my case, I am not concerned about this issue because I chose to stay all ARC.

Happy Holidays to all,

Bruce
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,931 posts
 
But does it ever end?? ;)

No. And if you do it right, it gets better :)
ebuzz OP
104 posts
 
So, my Jolida 1000P tube amp arrived and I'm just beginning to getting it broken in. I had an issue with a low hum. I wasn't sure if it was a natural noise from the tubes or a problem. It was an almost imperceptible hum that you could only hear if you put your ear right up next to the speaker. It got worse when I connected the preamp so I put a cheater plug on the preamp and it's all but gone. Probably just a ground loop.
Also, I changed from my SS preamp and bought a BAT VK-51 SE tubed preamp. Now, I'm all tubes!
I only have less than 20 hrs on the amp so it's not nearly broken in yet.
Looking forward to getting it going.
Now, soon I'll need to ask about tube buffers, stock or add on feet or blocks for the preamp, vibrapods, or whatever etc...
wolf_garcia
6,726 posts
 
I have Vibrapods (or their equivalent) under everything...under my main speakers, amp, DAC, me, etc. You can find relatively inexpensive sorbothane stick-on feet if you look around. The ones under my Jolida are some heavier duty sorbothane things that pre-date pods but are substantial enough for the weight and don't squash out so much. Enjoy your tubes...I've said before, tubes and tube owners are more fun.
ebuzz OP
104 posts
 
I hope we're more fun, Wolf. I went for the complete mod on the Jolida that included
"4 EAR compliant Sorbothane isolation feet" to replace the stock feet plus I have it sitting on a Mapleshade type dense wood block. So that might be enough for that piece.
More to discover