2. amps-preamps
  3. 1334466827

Could use your advice re: tube gear

I posted a long discussion of my MC240 and 8B which came out of storage a couple weeks ago. After listening to them with several speakers in our little local shop, and in comparison to an Anthem 700 MRX SS integrated ($2K) driving the speakers I'm thinking about, I'm missing the highs I thought I was getting. Quite a bit. And on big speakers the bass is loose and very undefined. Both tube amps (with my CJ PV-5) had vastly better midrange though.

What would be a move to keep the mids of my gear but get the defined bass and airy open highs?

Get a SS amp (like the DNA-1)? But would the CJ kill the tight lows and open highs? Could I mod the CJ?

Can I find a (~$1K used) tube amp that has the lush mids but tight lows and open detailed highs? The Quicksilver GLA maybe?

Trying to solve it with speakers, I could probably find a speaker with much tighter bottom (B&W CM-1 maybe) but that would not solve the highs. I have some Superzeros with spiky highs that help but don't replace the missing air and space.

Your thought would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
river251

Showing 3 responses by atmasphere

atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,575 posts
 
If your amps were in storage, its likely they are not working up to snuff. The Marantz was a nice amp but unless its been rebuilt/serviced recently I would not expect it to sound right- in fact I would be nervous about plugging it into the wall!

A new set of filter capacitors for the power supply and you may think very differently about this amp!
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,575 posts
 
Yes, you can't store **any** amplifier for years (long enough for surrounds to perish) and expect it to sound right after that. The filter caps die if they don't have voltage applied to them occasionally.

If you want tubes to sound right- play bass right and do the highs right, stay away from B&W- for the most part they are designed for transistor amps and are incompatible with tubes.

I'd love to find some of those Minimus 7s - they were cool little speakers.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,575 posts
 
River251, I hope you understand that even if it appears that you have reformed the old filter caps in your amps that there is no way that they are performing to spec as they could if you had new filter caps!
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