Need help picking my first tube amp

Ok thanks for that, are there any good chineese amps ?

Well it's for my desktop and the efficiency of my speakers are 90 DB so no problem there. The ta-26 only has one input but I only need one input I'm not hooking a bunch of stuff up I'm basically just going to run a dac into it and that's it, and of course it already has a headphone jack so that kind of does everything I need. If I do use the ta-26 I will have to get a amplifier cuz it's only a preamp. Thank you for all your suggestions I'm going to look at some of the links that you guys gave me and see what there is.

Thanks guys, i know my price range is low but its all i got.  Alot to think about, but im for sure going pre amp.

Im maybe thinking of Yamaha WXA -50 for the amp, have heard that things rocks and fits perfect on a desk.  I may consider the Emotive Basx A-100 or whatever the new version is called.  The hardest part is finding the tube pre amp.  I like the idea of being able to return it if it dont sound good, Apos maybe a good idea

You guys gave me some good information, china stuff hard to return and fix so have to be careful.  Keep the ideas coming.  I have had Schit stuff and its top notch really not a fan of there plain box look but its top notch.

 would look for a VTL TL 2.5 or Cary slp 03. I cuuerntly use Cary slp 03 and owned VTL tl 2.5 before. Both are excellent preamps with 12AU7 and 12 AT7 tubes. VTL does not have balanced input or outputs, but still a very good tube amp for the money. Either one can be purchased under $1000. Cary has line-level inputs and VTL 2.5 have an optional phono stage. Highly recommended.

 

Liking the sound of this, where do i find these two amps ?

Im not calling it a day, im going to get a tube pre amp.

 

MP-301 MK3. is out from music paradise, heard some reviews and its only 6.5 watts and very bass thin from the review.  

Agree Chorus, but out of my price range, thinking i need to save more money.

Yeah I actually watch his reviews he's very good and I've been looking at some of those amps but I need to have a headphone jack too.

Well I can get an excellent deal on an emotiva base x a-100.  I'm thinking of buying that because it has a headphone jack and it's got a crazy insane headphone power and then trying to hook up some type of tube amp to it a little small portable one that could sit on top of it I may go that route.

Well just bought a emotiva a2m 50 w desktop amp that has a kick butt headphone output on it that's going to be my amplifier now I'm just looking for a two to $300 little tube preamp maybe something off of Amazon something inexpensive to mess around with until I find the right sound.

I have acually heard the Emotiva basx A-100 now renamed and redesigned a little and now called the A2M.  It has 50 watts and the headphone amp you can change the jumpers and go into straight from the amp mode which i heard is good.  I think for 300 dollars its hard to beat.  Now i just need to find something under 300 tube pre amp to connect to it.  I am thinking amazon cause if i dont like the sound or quality its a easy return.

I really wanted the Yamaha WXA-50  which i heard is a kick but and amazing sounding desktop amp, but it has no headphone jack.

Always been tube curious, i hear so much about them that i have finally decided to try them in a cheap way.  I have always been into music, amps, speakers, just never tried tubes.

That company in Canada looks really interesting there amps, im looking into those.

Yep start off cheap and see if i like the tube hype and then move up the chain.

So i have a update, i bought the Little Dot Mark ii and some russian tubes for it, it will be here thursday.  I canceled the emotiva after talking to some headphone people.  I ended up getting a vintage Technics 70s reciever in steller condition.  Im going to run my Little Dot for driving my Hd 6xx and use the Little Dot as a pre amp to feed the Technics, now were talking some vintage late 70s sound, i cant wait.

Heard the noise floor on the emotiva isnt good, and i have always wanted a vintage reciever.

Has anybody here used Apos ? i ordered a dac and they sent me a tracking number but that was 4 days ago and it say USPS waiting item ? and Apos dont respond to me emails, i now want a refund and buy it somewhere else.