Old tube versus new tube gear

Al,

I'm curious if in your opinion, the old Brook amps, assuming in good modern working order, could match the performance their more modern equivalents overall, particularly on newer recordings of various genres that are digitally mastered? I'm sure the exact kind of modern speaker used would be a big factor. Not just any would probably do.

I guess my question might be rephrased. How much better are modern SOTA tube amps than their ancestors? And also how much should/does it really cost to play that game these days?

Paul Klipsch favored the Brook amplifiers and was most fond of the 12A model during his earlier K-horn development.
"What this country needs is a good five watt amplifier" PWK

Marakanetz,
Sounds even more funny today cause' I smile more and more each day. :)
-Wavelength Cardinal Signature SE 300B (in Zebrewood)
-Wavelength Silver 45 prototype (commissioned by Larry Alan Kay)

Hi Mapman,

With respect to Brook specifically, my answer to your question has to be somewhat speculative, because as I indicated I have no experience with their highly valued separate power amplifiers, and my experience was only with one mono integrated amplifier.

But extrapolating from that experience and experience with a number of other highly regarded vintage pieces, most notably several of the Marantz tube models, I would say that most top shelf pieces from that era, when in excellent condition and/or well restored, would be competitive with recent models **that are at similar price points** (asterisks added for emphasis).

Concerning speaker selection, most of my experience with vintage electronics has been with modern speakers, and I don't think the factors that are involved are particularly different than when matching modern tube amplifiers with modern speakers. 2A3s and 300Bs can't provide a great deal of power, even in push-pull configuration, which obviously rules out a lot of speakers. On the other hand, the Brook amplifiers provide 2, 4, 8, and 16 ohm output taps, so they are fairly versatile in terms of impedance compatibility.

Best regards,
-- Al

Thank you Al,
Modern speaker designs are up to par and some perhaps much more so,
I would certainly imagine.
My idea of the pairing with vintage speakers of the day was purely nostalgic.