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Tube amps that kick ass?

I'd like to find a high powered tube amp that can deliver all the magic that tubes are known for AND that kicks butt. Solid, tight bass with good authority. Dynamic, quick, but handles the little information (micro) sweetly as well. A tube amp that will play rock and roll at realistic volumes – the way rock in roll was meant to be enjoyed - and still sound great.

Any ideas? 10K or under? preferably 5K or so

Thanks for all responses.
128x128keithmundy

Showing 2 responses by atmasphere

atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,625 posts
 
Just for the record, 'Solid, tight bass' does not describe real bass- that sort of description makes me think of transistor bass, which is to say it has punch but no definition. If you want definition, you have to have tubes.

A lot also depends on the speaker load. If you want the tube amp to have as much slam as possible, avoid speakers that are 4 ohms in the woofer region. Your tube amp dollar will be better represented by a speaker that is at least 8 ohms. The output transformer will have better bass extension and greater efficiency.

atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,625 posts
 
Hi Keith, our email server has been down the last 2 days, so I will answer your question here:

Most of our Vandersteen 5/5A customers run the MA-1- and they say its spectacular! It appears that the M-60 should be able to drive the speaker too (the speaker appears easy to drive), but to date no-one has tried it. I think a lot depends on the room size- most of the 5/5A installations we've seen have been in bigger rooms.
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