I'm going back to tubes... a question for y'all


It's been years and years, but I remember the sound my old Stromburg Carlson used to put out. Also grandmas old Packard Bell. My vintage Marantz had 'the sound' also.

For some reason I just can't get it (that sound) out of my head, and here was the kicker: A week ago a buddy brought over a forty+ year old Harmon Kardon mono reciever for me to offload on e-bay. I plugged it in with it hooked up to one of the speakers, let it warm up, found a station and THERE was That Sound! I didn't say anything... my buddy looked at me and said "that sounds better than your (other stuff). The sad thing is... I was thinking the exact same thing.

Oh, the question... how many of you chased through SS stuff only to wind up back at tubes (sometimes many) years later.

I ordered up an amp from Paul at 2B audio. I'll let you know how it goes...
128x128rwbadley

Showing 4 responses by reubent

Which amp are you buying from Paul, the Cayin TA-30 or a classic re-furb'd tube amp? I purchased both a stock and fully modified Cayin from Paul and they are tremendous values. Plus, you get Paul! Buying a Chinese built amp from someone that doesn't personally know how to repair it is not a very good idea. I spoke with a dealer the other day that told me ALL warranty services are provide through the seller, not the manufacturer. Probably a good thing since shipping a 45 lb amp back to China would be very costly!

Enjoy,

TIC
RW,

Good call! Paul is the man! BTW, I just got my mod'd unit on Thursday and it is very good after only about 5 hours of burn-in. Can't wait to reach the 30 hour mark as Paul suggested. Man, this thing sounds BIG and WIDE. It fills my room like no other amp I've ever had in my system.

I think you are in for a treat!

BTW, where Y'all from?

Enjoy,

TIC
RW,

Do they say "Y'all" in Reno? :~) I thought ya might be from Caintucky or Tennessee...

I've owned lots of budget integrated and power amps Including Antique Sound Labs AQ-1003DT, Anthem Integrated One, Anthem Integrated Two, Anthem Amp 1, Bryston B-60r, Monarchy Audio SM-70 (stereo and mono-blocked), Arcam Alpha 9 and Alpha 10, Plinius 8200 and BottleHead Paramours and I'm sure more that I've forgotten. Some might do some things better, but I think I'm going to enjoy the Cayin at least as much and possibly more than all of the others overall. It has a very musical and inviting sound. It wants to help you listen to music, not your hi-fi system!

Only issue for my system at the moment is that I don't have a great CD source. I'm currently using the TAS recommended JVC XV-SA602SL DVD/DVD-A/CD player that I bought for $125 here on A-goN. Honestly, it is very good, but it is no match for the Resolution Audio Opus 21 CD player that I recently sold. Even with this CRAP source, this amp sounds big and open, really filling my room with sound, unlike any amp I've owned. My speakers are Reference 3A MM DeCapos and might be a better match for the amp than you speakers, but who knows.

I'm borrowing a high-end CD player from a friend this weekend, so I should get an indication of what this amp can really do. Oh yeah, I only have about 10 hours on it, so it's not even broken in yet!

Enjoy,

TIC
RW,

Unfortunately, they were owned too far apart to give an absolute answer and I have different speakers. All I can say is if they were all the same price as a mod'd Cayin from Bizzy Bee, I would choose the Mod'd Cayin for my taste.

Of course the others both have significantly more power than the Cayin and with my "very easy to drive" speakers, that power is just a waste.

YMMV for your taste and your speakers, but I'm happy with mine. Of course, you can't go wrong as Paul has a 30 day return policy.

I've never heard the Unico.

Enjoy,

TIC