Thanks for the responses. Someone emailed me about the Cayin 70T and I will look into it tonight. Hiend2 - Aren't the Hurricanes about $5K new. I've already sold off one child to get the funds for my HT. I wonder how much the others would fetch in the open market? I think that $5K is too rich for me right now as a newbie and at that price it would open up lots if not too many options. As Tvad noted in his post, I'm interested in making sure whatever I end up with has both ultralinear and triode modes.
Newbie needs to make a decision, Rogue? Manley?
After 2 years with a HT system, I realized that my music was lacking and that I needed to explore the 2 CH world. After reading numerous reviews, seeking the advise of several 2CH friends and talking to several dealers, I'm ready to take my first step and purchase a tube amp and then a pre-amp. First, my current system consists of an Anthem AVM 30 processor, a Rotel 1075 amp, a Rega Apollo CD player, Paradigm Studio 60 V.3's for my fronts, and a SVS 20-39 subwoofer. The interconnects and speaker wires are a snakes pit of mid-line Monsters which I know I will grade next (Signal Cable maybe). My living room serves as my HT/listening room. It's 26x12x8 with the setup against the long wall and my seating position against the opposite wall. The room is well furnished with a soft leather sofa, no coffee table and more than sufficient carpeting. I know my seating position is far from perfect but I have no options in my layout.
My first audition was with a Rogue Stereo 90 amp and then a Rogue Cronos integrated amp with Thiel 1.6 speakers. Needless to say that as a newbie I couldn’t really tell the difference between the two very well but I was impressed overall. Another dealer then offered to let me audition a used set of Rogue M-120’s mono-blocks at home for a month. It was at this point I truly heard a distinctive difference between the Rogue and the Rotel (especially with my own speakers which I feel I know well). To complicate matters the dealer whom I purchased the Rega from provided me with a set of Manley Mahi’s as well as various Cardas speaker wires, interconnects and PC’s. In the brief time I has this set-up I began to believe that sex with my wife was no longer necessary. I listen mostly to jazz and Cassandra Wilson’s husky contralto with the Mahi’s in triode mode with minimum feedback sounded like she was standing next to me. Unfortunately I did say a brief audition as one of the Mahi’s died after 5 hours of playing!! The dealer confirmed that the amp was defective. Unfortunately it will take him a few weeks to obtain another set.
With all that said, I’m ready to make a purchase before my money goes elsewhere. My budget can stretch to $3,000 for a tube amp or solid integrated tube amp. The Stereo 90 would be able to deal with less efficient speakers when I decide to upgrade (Thiels, Salks, etc.) however, I’m still intrigued by the sound of the Mahi’s. However with only 40 watts at ultra-liner mode I’m afraid the Mahi’s may not be a good match down the road with less efficient speakers. Whatever I end up with would also need to power my fronts when I use my HT set-up. I don’t think this would be much of a problem as I peak out at about 85db when I look at movies. Are there any other amps with an adjustable feedback in my budget? Sorry about the long post. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
My first audition was with a Rogue Stereo 90 amp and then a Rogue Cronos integrated amp with Thiel 1.6 speakers. Needless to say that as a newbie I couldn’t really tell the difference between the two very well but I was impressed overall. Another dealer then offered to let me audition a used set of Rogue M-120’s mono-blocks at home for a month. It was at this point I truly heard a distinctive difference between the Rogue and the Rotel (especially with my own speakers which I feel I know well). To complicate matters the dealer whom I purchased the Rega from provided me with a set of Manley Mahi’s as well as various Cardas speaker wires, interconnects and PC’s. In the brief time I has this set-up I began to believe that sex with my wife was no longer necessary. I listen mostly to jazz and Cassandra Wilson’s husky contralto with the Mahi’s in triode mode with minimum feedback sounded like she was standing next to me. Unfortunately I did say a brief audition as one of the Mahi’s died after 5 hours of playing!! The dealer confirmed that the amp was defective. Unfortunately it will take him a few weeks to obtain another set.
With all that said, I’m ready to make a purchase before my money goes elsewhere. My budget can stretch to $3,000 for a tube amp or solid integrated tube amp. The Stereo 90 would be able to deal with less efficient speakers when I decide to upgrade (Thiels, Salks, etc.) however, I’m still intrigued by the sound of the Mahi’s. However with only 40 watts at ultra-liner mode I’m afraid the Mahi’s may not be a good match down the road with less efficient speakers. Whatever I end up with would also need to power my fronts when I use my HT set-up. I don’t think this would be much of a problem as I peak out at about 85db when I look at movies. Are there any other amps with an adjustable feedback in my budget? Sorry about the long post. Any suggestions would be appreciated!