Is the Almarro 318B For Me?Any Others?


Hey folks.Quick backstory.Last year circumstances forced the sale of the Moon I5.3 that was driving my S.F.Toy Towers.Pressed into full service was the little Peachtree Audio MusicBox that was acting as PreAmp/DAC.This little marvel uses a 12AX7 Dual Triode run full Class A into a single pair of Toshiba MOSFET's running Class A/B.Over the past year about the only thing I missed with this amp is more depth in the SS & better imaging(both of which even the i5.3 was lacking).One thing that the PTA has taught me is that 20wpc is PLENTY of power for my needs.Fast forward to the present the time has come to upgrade & I have $3000.00 to spend.I am TOTALLY head over heals for my S.F.Toy Towers,believing them to be one of the greatest bargains in all audio land & the MusicBox will stay as the Pre Amp/DAC as steaming is now my primary source(can't remember the last time I listened to a CD).After a lot of thought & MANY hours pouring over reviews & owners systems here I believe that an SET amp holds the keys to musical bliss for me but REALLY want to keep the Toy Towers's & don't think 10wpc.will drive them sufficiently which led me to investigate the big 845's(too heavy) which in turn led me to the 6C33C driven Almarro 318B integrated amplifier.Even though I'm using a PreAmp I still want an Integrated in case I need to use the MusicBox somewhere else.Another consideration is weight.50 lbs.maximum weight as I'm growing long in the tooth & have severely degenerated lower discs.Can't be humping a 80 lb.amp around.2 things that worry me about the Almarro are that I read the tube bases need to be replaced every now & then as they are not designed to take the heat & voltage they incur & that reliable tubes are hard to get.I looked into the Decware Torii Jr.but a 4-5 month wait won't work(I want something for the holidays).With my musical taste which is pretty much everything from solo classical/celtic harp to classic rock(Rush/LZ/PF/BadCo etc..)to Reggae's Big 3(Marley/Tosh & Cliff)with some Big Band & Classic Jazz(Coltrane/Davis etc)thrown in for good measure do you think I'll be happy with the 318B?Listening levels aren't loud(most of the time)& room is smallish(18'x15'x9')& is acoustically treated(see my system pics).Any competition for the 318B that I should look at?Thanks very much everyone.Looking forward to your thoughts.
freediver

Showing 1 response by keithr

The Almarro 318B was quite a disappointing amp on my Zu loudspeakers. I didn't find the frequency extremes extended at all nor did the amp have much dynamic capability.

I much preferred the Mastersound Due Venti at a similar price point.