Good budget tube amp?

another question I have...other than power, is there any reason I should prefer the ST-120 over the ST-70 or vice-versa?

I've heard good things about those totem bookshelf speakers, but I imagine the concern is that they are rated at 86db into 4 ohms, which means they are not the easiest speakers in the world to drive.

Your Totems are good speakers but they are not a very easy load to drive. 87 DB @ 4 ohms. Most tube integrated amps are rated around 30 watts. They give you good value for money, seeing that you wanted to stay around 1k. The rogue cronus is most likely powerful enough at 55 watts but I still think it is not the best. When I think of totem I think of solid state type of sound. A bit lean, a bit bright sounding on top. They like a lot of juice to get them going to sound their best. Magnepan and Theil speakers are other such speakers I tend to think of when I think of solid state amps. They need a lot of current.Then there are speakers that sound best with tubes. The electrical load is better suited for tubes. Usually 8 ohms nominal and/or at least higher sensitivity 90DB or higher. I have a 30 watt tube integrated and I use Proac speakers and JM Reynaud speakers. Both found use a little more watts but are an easy enough load for my amp. Speakers that are great for tube amps usually excel in the midrange, perhaps have a warmer and less lean balance then you totems. Speakers such as Joseph Audio, Zu, Tekton, Devore, are good matches for tubes.
The bottom line is, if your get the Rogue, you can use it with your Totems. After sometime you may want to explore different speakers. You will notice a difference.
You can always buy a high powered tube amp that will drive just about anything. But if you want to stay within your budget then a lower powered tube amp and higher efficient speakers are the way to go. There are many that would say this is the only way to go. This is a bit of a ramble but I hope it helps some. :)

Please, by all means ramble as much as you'd like, because I am eager to learn about tube amps. I've been reading as much as I can lately about them. In addition to the Totems, I also have a pair of B&W CM7's that I use for TV-system. Since they're 8 ohms and higher efficiency, would you say they would be a better candidate to match with tubes? I know people have reservations about B&W, myself included, but for some reason the CM7's sounded particularly nice to me. Either way, I'm sure that I will eventually upgrade my speakers as well.

In regards to the amp, I am seriously considering putting together my own from a kit--so far I've only seen kits from Bob Latino, but are there any other noteworthy places to get kits that are worth comparing?. I'd like to take advantage of any potential good deals that pop up on here or ebay, but it's hard to pull the trigger on an amp that I've never heard solely based on faith, and it's hard for me to evaluate the condition/quality of specific listings of old tube amps since I don't have the experience. I can't find anywhere to audition these either, as much as I'd like to listen to them. My only source of reference are new tube amps that I hear in local audio stores selling for much higher prices. The places near me carry brands like Rogue Audio, Rogers, PrimaLuna & McIntosh. I imagine I'd learn a lot by putting together my own as well. However, since I still want the best bang for my buck, I would still just buy a complete amp if it were a much better deal. What do you think? There is still the worry that I don't know exactly what the finished product will sound like. So, how would you describe the sound characteristics/overall quality I can expect from the Dynaco amps versus something I might hear at the store? Also, what about other brands like Jolida? The Chinese Yaqin amps?

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