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.
128x128ejineffect

Showing 4 responses by jax2

I doubt whether a company in the U.S. (or any Western European country for that matter) could possibly produce a good integrated amp for $1500 retail simply because of the cost of labor and parts, as well as running a business of that scale in this country. Plenty of distributor/companies that are based in the U.S. that outsource products in that range, so I suppose if you are looking to support a US company you'd have to be satisfied with supporting a company that outsources or is a distributor, or pay more towards your support and choose a company charging a fair rate for the price of producing the product here. At least I can't think of any company doing that short of DIY, class T and D and SET stuff. Quicksilver's Mini-Mites are made here by hand and are around $1k/pair. They are excellent amps - fun, punchy and engaging, as well as versatile. I've owned two pairs over the years. Mike Sanders offers excellent customer service as well. You'd just need a preamp to go with them, which you could find used for $500 - Quicksilver's own linestage matches great and comes up used for a bit more than that, but that combination would handily outclass many Asian integrated offerings at the same price. My friend, Ellery, started this similar thread a while back, though not exactly the same question, it is the same general subject. Beyond that There's a good review in Stereophile (FWIW) of the SV-236 hybrid integrated by Vincent for just under $2k...sorry, made in the Fatherland...or rather the company is in Germany...I would bet big $ that they produce the amp in China though.
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.

Correct me here if I'm wrong, but I assumed Ejineffect was asking about buying American in order to support American companies. I don't see how buying a used amp would accomplish that. Otherwise all good recommendations for sure!
Trelja - that sounds like a great goal. Manufacturing does need to come back here to this country in a big way, and with it a return of pride of workmanship. I only hear good things about Rogue here. I can echo the same kind of recommendation for Mike Sanders stuff, which is bomb-proof. Over the years I've owned five different pairs of his amps, the longest for six years. Not a hiccup from any one of them. When I accidentally broke a speaker terminal Mike took care of it in short order. Another very big thumbs up for Dan Wright of Modwright, whose components I currently use and favor highly. His new amp is outstanding, but unfortunately beyond the budget of the poster or I would have included it as a recommendation. Built by hand in Amboy, WA. He will be working on an integrated project at some point soon, but for now he has only the KWA150 (bridgeable power amp). Disclaimer: Dan is a client of mine. I also like Atmasphere products which are made here, but again, beyond the pricepoint. There's certainly no shortage of U.S. manufacturers of excellent gear, but the big challenge is making it affordable. If you can do that Trelja, my hat's off to you! Another good alternative comes to mind just now, the Portal Audio Panache integrated, which I think is around $2K. I'm not sure if Joe Abrams has those built here or elsewhere. It's a damn fine little integrated if you don't mind not having a remote. What about Odyssey...is Klaus making an integrated. His amps are bargains. Your amp-speaker interface is going to be important, of course, but that's a whole different thread, perhaps.

Ellery - thanks, as always, for the lesson in global economy. Ellery made my head spin with his mastery of that subject when he came over to visit recently. I bow in deference to his far greater knowledge on the subject. So how many used SLI-80's to feed a family of four in China for a week, Ellery? And what impact does it have if those purchases are put on a credit card via PayPal? How many Chinese families could you feed, clothe, shelter for a year and put their kids through Harvard Law on the bonus of an AIG exec...and still have enough left over to buy a Rogue Cronos? Ah, but I digress.
Hey Trelja - Ralph's gotta be a tremendous assett to have on that project. Dude's a true Renaissance man with a great passion for music. That sounds like a product worth waiting for! Tell him I'll see him next year in band camp!

I agree 100% that it's imperative that we shift production back to these shores.

Amen. If we don't, we're doomed and I could see an Eastern dominated world, like Blade Runner portrays so pointedly, in our future. High-end audio is only a pebble on the beach though.

Marco