2. amps-preamps
  3. 1326384678

Tube amp decision - Thoughts

Looking for a synergistic connection. I have, IMO, a very good setup. But I believe I errored in one important aspect. I always wanted a ruler flat response. I believe I achieved that. Great recordings sound great. But the majority of recordings seem to sound a bit thin in our system. Not to others audiophile types but I have to admit now that impact has got to be part of the quotient for greater enjoyment.

I have a pair of rather efficient Tyler Acoustic Decades. They sound very accurate as they're reputed to be and most folks run tube amps with them, perhaps to warm them up a bit.
My system consists of a Pass labs X350.5 which has played stellar through Dynaudio, MBL and AV123 Line Arrays.
An Allnic L3000 preamp really makes this system sing in 3D.
Sources are a VPI Scoutmaster and a modified Oppo BDP83SE backed by a BDP95 in stock form. A lot of attention has been paid to my AC.

It's all well and good but my family and I feel that it lacks impact and warmth with a lot of "modern" CD's or streamed FLAC files. I have Def Techs in our TV room which having built-in subs are pretty fun to listen to if not so transparent and refined. But it did drive home a weakness (perceived)in our 2 channel setup.

Having visited many audio shows, my wife and I always seemed to love the rooms with Prima Luna Dialogue amps playing in them. Of course they are generally partnered with NOLA speakers. That seemes to be an amazingingly synergistic combination. Rogue Audio amps as well seemed to captivate us. But there are a lot of great tube amps out there. Thus the post.

I'm going to build a pair of LS-9 line arrays. I owned the LS6's and sold them some time ago. These are also tube friendly speakers.

So given a $5500 dollar budget new or used, where to go?

Thanks for your responses.
128x128desalvo55
sebrof's avatar
sebrof
837 posts
 
I'll give my thoughts and then look for input from members with more experience than I have with EL34 and EL84.
I believe the amps you mention are all EL34-based. I recently got a Manley Stingray that uses EL84s. I love it in my system more than EL34 amps I've had in other systems, but I think it diverges a bit from what you are looking for because I would not call it "warm." So I guess my point is I would suggest "No EL84 for you!" ;)
swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,138 posts
 
Lots of great choices in that price range used that can drive efficient speakers. Assuming that the D1s impedance curve is reasonably flat, w an 8 ohm, 90 dB speaker, you could use OTLs or transformer coupled. I can only tell you the amps that I have used and enjoyed that fall into that range include VAC Ren 30/30, Atma-sphere M60, Joule VZN-80, and Doshi/Lectron JH-50. You could go higher up the food chain (of all but the Jh-50) than I had. I will say that the Joule is probably the warmest in my system and the Atma the quickest. Music Reference RM-9 is reputed to be a great amp also but I've never heard it. Since your current rig is v high power you way want to consider higher wattage models from these line-ups, like the Ren 70/70 (or monoblocked 30/30s) Atma M-1 or Joule VZN-100 monos. Be forewarned, the OTLs do run hot, the Joules very hot!!! so if you have kids or pets, that may be an issue. With the exception of the Joules, all of these typically are in high demand on the used market, so you could try one and move it along if it didn't work for you.
sibelius
256 posts
 
Stick to what you like and have heard. If you have enjoyed the sound from Prima Luna and Rogue amps, stick with those rather than buying something unheard based on forum recommendations. I took a quick look at the Prima Luna Dialogue offerings and one of the nice things is it will allow you to extensively tube roll most of the major push pull tube types. You can then tailor the sound based on the tube. Want to add warmth, use EL-34. Need more bass, use a KT-88. The auto-bias is also a nice feature - especially for those new to tube amps. Finally, you can run the amp in both ultralinear or triode mode for even more variety. If you are new to tubes, the prima luna amps are a good option.
desalvo55's avatar
desalvo55 OP
257 posts
 
I've never owned a tube amp. My preamps have been tube based. Cary SLP-05, Audio research and my current Allnic. We've rolled many a tube on the Cary. I don't wish to "tube roll" the amps other than establishing the primary set that works well with the amp which from what I've read, isn't usually the set that ships with the amp.

I do like amps that can switch between triode and ultralinear. Seems like a good thing with the desparity of recordings.

Selling the Pass is probably a dumb move and not the first dumb move I've made in this hobby. But we do wish to experience tube amps and no doubt we've been drawn to systems employing tube gear.

I am not familiar with Quicksilver.
mechans
3,048 posts
 
If you want warmth I would say Conrad Johson. I am not sure of what it is you are really aiming for. $5500 is a goodly amount. I bought a used Jadis DA-60 for much less. It doesn't sound like that's what you want. If you are willing to go Chinese my Opera Consonance Cyber 800s are real giant killers. They are 6CA7 based monoblocks incredible definition dynamics air and stage . I warmed them up by using Cardas Golden Ref ICs just great.
More to discover