Tube Amp Recommendations $1500

5-27-14: B_limo
... it's time to start researching tube amps in the $1500 price range.

I'm looking for something that looks good, has more power than my Prima Luna 5, and has that charecteristic warm, lush, textured and detailed sound.

05-27-14: Fjn04
LM Audio 211 or 219. The former uses EL34, the latter KT88!

Aren't the Line Magnetic models integrated amplifiers? It appears that B_limo is looking for a power amp, to use in conjunction with his Lightspeed attenuator.

Also, I believe "219" should be "216," with both model numbers being followed by the letters "IA." And neither meets the stated criterion of being more powerful than the Primaluna Prologue Five.

Finally, I'm not sure that a tube amp would be an optimal choice for use with the particular speakers. If the speakers are the same model or have an impedance curve similar to that of the Paradigm Reference Signature S2 (see the first figure) the interaction of their impedance characteristics with the relatively high output impedance of most tube amps will result in an over-emphasis of the 1 to 2 kHz area, and an under-emphasis of the mid-bass, assuming (as I suspect) that the speakers were designed with solid state amplification in mind.

Regards,
-- Al

Indeed it is the 216 I was thinking of. I believe it's around 40WPC. I am not familiar with the power output of the Prima Luna, so the OP will have to decide on how much power he needs for his speaker. I have no experience w/ the Paradigm. Cheers -Don

Hi Al,
Good points you raised. The Line Magnetic amplifiers generally speaking have rather stout output transformers and power supplies. They are reputed to drive loads better than their watt specifications would suggest.
Charles,

Thanks so much guys!

I will look into these tube amps mentioned. I'm sure there are some good recommendations in there.

Al, I do believe that stereophile review was of my speakers (Sig 2 V.3's); I look into that further to confirm. I wondered how these would pair with tubes but I thought the Prima Luna Prologue 5 pushed a variety of speakers well (jamo d830, quad 22l2, joseph audio rm7si and 25si) but maybe I was wrong...

This may have opened a whole new can of worms because I really like these speakers. I thought I could gain a little more extension in the highs, more of that organic life like sound I was experiencing with tubes, while keeping the more controlled bass of a solid state and gaining more headroom and higher volume than my current Acurus A100.

Maybe I should be looking at high power solid state amps that have a "tube like"' sound? CJ? McCormack? ...?

And since I have your attention, I'm open to criticism on my rig. Do you see other weak links or areas to possibly change? Thanks!

Al could certainly be correct in suggesting your speakers were designed with SS amplifiers as the expected choice for driving them. I've never really heard a SS amp sound like a tube amp if it's truly "tube" sound you're seeking.
Best of Luck.
Charles,