American-made integrated tube amplifiers


I have been holding out for an American-made integrated tube amp. It seems, however, that all the recent buzz has been about Asian-made products. Obviously, economics has forced many of us to reconsider our equipment budgets. This most often narrows amp selection to foreign manufacturered designs. Is there an affordably priced "made-in-the-USA" integrated tube amp that clearly outperforms and outclasses the current comparative Asian products filling the approx. $1500 price range? A scan through the common publications indicate, not.
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Your sentiment is commendable.

I suggest you try the Rogue Cronus at $1795. Beyond that, if you should decide to sell it down the road, you'll find the resale value a Made in the USA component such as this provides in comparison to a Chinese product will more than justify the purchase.
I doubt whether a company in the U.S. (or any Western European country for that matter) could possibly produce a good integrated amp for $1500 retail simply because of the cost of labor and parts, as well as running a business of that scale in this country. Plenty of distributor/companies that are based in the U.S. that outsource products in that range, so I suppose if you are looking to support a US company you'd have to be satisfied with supporting a company that outsources or is a distributor, or pay more towards your support and choose a company charging a fair rate for the price of producing the product here. At least I can't think of any company doing that short of DIY, class T and D and SET stuff. Quicksilver's Mini-Mites are made here by hand and are around $1k/pair. They are excellent amps - fun, punchy and engaging, as well as versatile. I've owned two pairs over the years. Mike Sanders offers excellent customer service as well. You'd just need a preamp to go with them, which you could find used for $500 - Quicksilver's own linestage matches great and comes up used for a bit more than that, but that combination would handily outclass many Asian integrated offerings at the same price. My friend, Ellery, started this similar thread a while back, though not exactly the same question, it is the same general subject. Beyond that There's a good review in Stereophile (FWIW) of the SV-236 hybrid integrated by Vincent for just under $2k...sorry, made in the Fatherland...or rather the company is in Germany...I would bet big $ that they produce the amp in China though.