Are mono tube amps my best choice?


I own a Denon 5910 multi disc player as my only source, which I’ve been running into a Burson buffer gain device, and then through two separate passive volume controls. From there I’ve been feeding my four B&K M200 mono amps to my Silverline Grandeur ll speakers. This setup actually sounds pretty nice.

Because my M200s are now over twenty years old, I’m thinking about switching to mono tube amps. I’ve never had tubes in anything I’ve owned. Because my wife and I watch movies (and listen to music), I don’t have space in the middle of the room for a single amp (only 4 inches of height). My stands, passive preamp, and wiring are geared for mono amps.

I live near Sacramento, California, and emailed Min at tubeaudiolab with my room specs and setup to see what he thought would work best. He recommended a pair of mono amps with Kt 88 tubes that produce approximately 60 watts per channel. From the reviews I’ve seen, it appears Min makes some pretty good equipment.

I’m hoping for some Audiogon wisdom to show me the way. Am I making the right choice switching to tube amps? I don’t want to spend more than $2000.
kevine

Showing 1 response by entrope

A consideration if you are running 4 tube amps in a small area will be the heat generated.

I never realized that when I had a large basement listening area. When we moved to a smaller house and I was relegated to a bedroom (12 x 14) for 2 channel listening my Atma-sphere M60's heated the room like a sauna. It saves heating in the fall/winter but is uncomfortable after about an hour in the summer.