2. amps-preamps
  3. 1203954274

Upgrade path...Need suggestions

Current system for 2 channel:
Arcam Alpha SE8 cd to
B&K Ref 20 to
Bryston 3bst to
Gallo 3.1's 88db sensitivity
System is also used for h/t
My first thought was to upgrade the B&K to a tubed pre but after some looking I found no tubed pre's in my price range that had zone 2 which is very important to us.
Now I am thinking about an amp upgrade. Have never had tubes but want to give it a try. How much fiddling do they require? Keep reading about biasing, pentode, triode etc. and have no idea what it means. Is it a constant battle or set it and forget it? How much tube power do I need?
Budget is <$1000 so used is the way I want to go. Would like to get some recommendations. Looking for that "tube" sound. Soundstage, warmth, detail, midrange, etc..
Thanks for any suggestions.
Steve
scoly1
rodman99999
6,206 posts
 
Oh- And you asked about if tubes are a hassle? These PrimaLuna pieces eliminate the bias adjusting, and even feature a soft-start circuit to enhance your tube life. Power requirements: Your Gallo's aren't extremely efficient. How loudly do you listen to your music? How big is your room? Are you a bass freak? What genre(jazz, classical- philharmonic or chamber, rock, pop, etc.)? If you read all those reviews on the integrateds- you'll get a feel for the results the reviewers got with a variety of speakers and different types of music. That should help you in your search.
scoly1 OP
74 posts
 
Thanks Rodman.
Room is 26'9 inches x 16'9" with a vaulted ceiling. We listen from fairly soft thru loud but not uncomfortably loud. Probably not the exact answer you were looking for but best I can do. Rock, jazz and blues, both acoustical and electric.
Would a tube amp around 40 to 60wpc be enough? I read that tubed power seems to equate around 2x compared to ss.
Thanks again.
Steve
rodman99999
6,206 posts
 
Yes- tube amps sound more powerful than a SS amp of the same rating. There are a few theories why this so, but the jury's still out. With your budget it's going to be hard to get into a painless tube amp(or monoblocks) with the power that will feed your needs(I'd say 75+ wpc). If you enjoyed tinkering with electronics: I'd recommend a pair of Dynaco ST-70's strapped mono and upgraded, or a pair of modded Mk IIIs. Probably a lot more than you'd like to tackle, from the way your first post sounded. Honestly: I'd say save a bit more money and then shop the tubed power amp classifieds in here, and the Upscale site. That Bryston can't be too hard to listen to.
jalapenos
81 posts
 
great suggestion from Rodman. The PrimaLuna are a perfect tube amp to get you started and should hold resale value quite well. Perhaps you could run a tube amp on the Gallo's top terminals and your existing Bryston on the second voice coil of the woofer. With that said, I bet the modest power of the PrimaLuna would be more than adequate.

Another inexpensive tube option would be an AES (Audio Electronic Supply) Superamp. Depending on the model chosen, this would offer a little more power and the ability to switch between triode and ultralinear. A big benefit of this is the doubling of power in ultralinear vs. triode. Some of the AES amps are manual bias and some are cathode (self) biasing. Upscale Audio has info on these as well. AES is a subsidiary of Cary Audio and both utilize very robust power supplies and run the output tubes conservatively -- these two components are critical in an amplifiers performance and longtime enjoyment, imo.

I think you are on the right path in considering a tube amp for your Gallos -- their impedence is compatible with a tube amp (which generally don't like 4ohm & lower). Don't worry about seemingly low power ratings either. Once you have tubes successfully integrated into your system, you'll never regret it!

rodman99999
6,206 posts
 
Dennis Had(Cary + AES) designs some excellent equipment. I'd have recommended that also, but your budget..... I've owned a pair of Cary SLM-100s(slightly modded) for a while and love them. I'm also bi-amping, and agree that it would be an excellent way to more fully enjoy your music/system. To do it correctly with amps of different power ratings/efficiencies(plays havoc with your freq. response) you'll need an active x-over, or high/low pass filter. I used a Dahlquist DQ-LP1(also modded) from 1981 until 2005. No one designed anything better that I could find. They are still available(but getting rarer do to popularity) for what they cost new(about $325.00). Watch this one:(http://cgi.ebay.com/Dahlquist-DQ-LP1_W0QQitemZ300200447488QQihZ020QQcategoryZ14977QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) It sells today.
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