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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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sogood51
2,157 posts
 
I'll second the Rogue Cronus...plenty of reviews on line.

Dave
ejineffect's avatar
ejineffect OP
22 posts
 
I wonder how the Cronus fares up against Cayin , Prima Luna or Ming Da. At least these makes are mentioned in A-gon forums. Hard to find much discussion on Rogue. Why no hype? I know, I know,...DON'T BELEIVE THE HYPE.
ejineffect's avatar
ejineffect OP
22 posts
 
Thanks Jax 2. I took a look at Ellery's thread and found it very informative. The Quicksilver products, at that price, look interesting. I understand your point regarding manufacturing costs completely. Having just watched my little Chinese EL34 int. amp literally go up in smoke, I am just feeling frustrated with the reality that American products if they are manufactured here, are priced 35 - 40% more than products that have to be shipped from the other side of the world. It just seems sad to me that one of the perks we used be able to enjoy as Americans was affordably priced, well-made products. How do we get the trend back in this direction?
ehaller
98 posts
 
Here's why I like Rogue products: American made with excellent build quality, you can call the factory and speak to the people who design and build the products, and you can easily send in your piece for upgrades/mods. Their level of customer service is outstanding and I feel the products represent a great value too. I am a happy owner of a modded Magnum 99 pre and speak to Mark O'Brien frequently about my system and changes I'd like to make. He's more than happy to take whatever time is necessary to answer all my questions, a lot of them not even concerning his products.
aball
2,016 posts
 
I've seen Chinese tube amps go up in smoke as well.

But the fact is that tube amps aren't cheap to make correctly and the US labor costs are horribly high. There are American options that are worthy in the $1500 range but you'll probably have to settle for used components, such as the Manley Stingray, Conrad Johnson CAV-50, VAC Williamson, VTL-IT 85, Cary SLI-80. I can't think of any new ones, other than the Cronus, in this price range. Just a fact of life I guess!

Arthur
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