The first thing that I will mention is you have a large space to fill. So, you are going to need power and most likely should section off a listening area in your loft. Those 15 ft. ceilings will make it tough to control the soundstage from your system.
You’ll need to get higher SPL’s from the speakers than in your other space.
I didn’t check any of your specs, but under ideal circumstances the 40 watt amp might be enough, but the size of your space is going to require higher power. |
Thanks Lowrider. You are right, high power amps and large speakers are needed. However, my budget is only $4000 for new speakers and amplification, so it's not enough for more power and size. On the other hand, coming from the 705 monitors to a new pair of tower speakers should improve things.
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@mamifero to get higher power from a tube amp, you need to move from 2 tubes to 4 tubes per channel. There aren't a lot of choices when it comes to such integrateds. Especially, at your target price. You could think of the Cayin A100 or Jolida JD1000
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mamifero, Why not get the set of speakers first, and see if you even need a different amp. As far as the 15' ceiling, that's tough. I have a vaulted ceiling that's about 15', and after trying for years to "get it right" and pissing off my wife, I finally made a room in the basement. All the best. JD |
I agree, get the speakers first but keep in mind that a tube amp will be driving them.
All the while, keep checking the amps for sale on Agon and US audio mart. |
Buy a used NYAL Moscode 150. It's a hybrid amp using a four tube front end driving a MOSFET output stage. 75 wpc at 8 ohms - considerably more at 4 ohms! Designed by George Kaye and built here in the USA. The best of both worlds - tubes for input and voltage gain, transistors for current and power! I have one myself! |
You can drive the Moscode 150 directly from your digital sources. No need for a preamp! |
Thank you all for the valuable advise and detailed information. Just one last question.
One of the speakers on my list (Sonus Faber Venere 3.0) is rated as a 6 ohms speaker. If I end up buying that one, should I connect it to the 4 ohms or 8 ohms tab of my Jolida JD 202? |
I would buy the speakers first and see how well your Jolida drives them. As far as which taps to use try both to see which gives you the better sound.
If you decide to change out the amp you might want to research a Cary SLI-80. There are a couple of used units for sale on this site within your budget (no affiliation). It offers a lot of flexibility with regard to tube type and can switch from triode to ultralinear on the fly. Plus Cary offers part upgrades like capacitors and the like to improve performance. All in all a fun amp to play with and won't break the bank.
Chuck |
Good morning folks!I have been looking and in a similar situation, I am considering the Jolida S3502 ($1700) integrated and maybe a pair of KT88's or 120's and the Tekton Design Pendragons ($2000) or Enzo's at 96-98 dB http://www.tektondesign.com/pendragon.htmlThe 3502S should have zero problems riving the TD's and quite capable of filling your space! |
What about a Rogue Cronus Magnum? It's 100wpc and should drive the speakers effortlessly. The amp uses 4 KT120 output tubes. |
You need to put away the specs and step back for a second. I agree with the speaker first approach. there are a ton of options depending on what you want to spend. There are many speakers that will work great with tubes, but also with SS if you want to switch.
I have to say that I personally love the Vandersteen's. They are outstanding with both tubes and SS adn they will play plenty loud with any of the amps listed so far. Another suggesting for an integrated amp is a SS one. The smaller Belles integrated amp is under 2k I believe. Right now, it's my favorite inexpensive integrated amp (they are about to release their monster integrated).
Most Vandy dealers sell those Rogue amps as they are outstanding values for tubes. There is a reason that Vandersteen's are the best selling high end speaker of all time (the 2's). I'd make sure to give those a try along with the similarly priced Focal's, B&W's or anything else. |
I have a 14’ ceiling and it sounds freaking fantastic with Vandersteen
Rudy Van Gelder had vaulted ceilings in his coveted and world famous recording studio !!!!!
anyway
always, always try out the various transformer taps for best sound....
trust your ears
unless you have a short ( emphasis on YOU ! ) between the headsets...
some fantastic tube values right now:
Rogue
VTL
Quicksilver
Atmasphere
ARC
and of course Bedini.
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Great tube choices for sure. I have owned Quickies and loved them. So well built and designed. They also have an integrated amp now. |
I run a pair of Yamaha NS-1000s with a little Jolida Sj502a with Kt120s and vintage bugleboy imput stage. Sounds wonderful. That being said you can prob run just about anything you want with that amp. It can be had for less than a grand.
Edit: I do recommend changing the selection switch and pots out for better quality. Also beefing up the power board with better caps and resistors will help running the KT120s, but the 6550s run good too, if you choose to stay that route. |
I would suggest a pair of Tannoy 15 inch monitor gold or hpd in lancaster cabinets or bigger and also as for the integrated I have been using a Korean Emille Ki-40l with a pair of hpd and is a good match. They fill my room which has 15 foot ceilings and is about 30 foot c 60 foot and reward you if you are sitting close at low volume or just mooching about doing stuff. (The Ki-40l is for sale at £2750 and is 240v) hope that helps.
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