2. amps-preamps
  3. 1100662087

should i do tube?

so i have a few grand to spend. you can check out my system, but basically it's an analog front end. im currently using a sim i-5 integrated, but cancelling out the pre section by using a bottlehead foreplay pre, which makes a very nice difference. question is, should i just go to pure tubes. the latest audio advisor catalog has 2 amps which sound very interesting, the antique sound lab aq-1001dt integrated, and the mgsi 15 dt integrated which is set. let me be clear here...things sound very good as is. but im intrigued about using all tubes. and the 1001dt especially interests me cause it's 50 wpc and has a remote, and seemingly very easy bias adjustment, which i really want. so all opinions would be very appreciated here. and if these amps could be bettered in a similiar price range, please chime in.

thanks all...
sberger

Showing 2 responses by sberger

sberger OP
146 posts
 
thanks everyone for your thoughtful and speedy responses. i suppose i'll wait till i see something that's reasonably affordable and make a decision, but i suspect that after reading your opinions that the fact that i have an integrated which has some tube like qualities, and that im coupling it with a very nice little tube preamp, that a tube amp isn't necessarily going to make that significant amount of change.

Thanks again to those that have responded, and I'd love to hear any other opinions.
sberger OP
146 posts
 
>IMHO and experience, it makes a rather large change, even if tonally speaking its similar, you loose the liquidity that a tube amp can bring to the system<

i'm sure you're right. i would think that some of that liquidity in my system is replaced by using the foreplay pre. but the point you make is a good one and is why im wrestling with this question.

thanks.
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