Thanks! What would I be looking for in the pics? I kinda know what to look for in a solid-state amp because my old Linn LK280 had major heat issues over it's lifetime, like the traces were coming off the PC board and caps were failing. What do I look out for in a used tube amp?
Tube amplifier upgrade suggestions welcome.
I currently have a Musical Fidelity m2si and some Tekton Lore speakers and would like to buy a power amplifier to upgrade my system. I'd like to keep the m2si in the system as a preamp. I'd like more clarity, bass, and dynamics in my setup. I have up to $2K to spend and thought I'd try out a tube amp since my speakers are supposed to be very tube-friendly.
I have considered something like a Parasound A23+ or Rotel 1582 amplifier -- what are the equivalent tube amplifiers to these? I'm in an 11' x 12' room with horrible acoustics but I've treated it with 8 GIK 244 bass traps and have added an SVS-SB1000 to fill in the low end which helped a ton. How should I proceed from here?
I have considered something like a Parasound A23+ or Rotel 1582 amplifier -- what are the equivalent tube amplifiers to these? I'm in an 11' x 12' room with horrible acoustics but I've treated it with 8 GIK 244 bass traps and have added an SVS-SB1000 to fill in the low end which helped a ton. How should I proceed from here?
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Use your M-F for a pre-amp and get a pair of Quicksilver Mid Monos. You will be very happy. Mid Mono Amplifier – Quicksilver Audio |
shawn, the seller seems to have provided good CU pics of the amp. It’s very clean and he states it’s only 3 years old. Not much wear happens in that short amount of time except for tube life. The questions I have are answered on the Music Reference website including: Tube Complement: "Each unit is hand wired with point-to-point wiring." EL84 is a very smooth, sweet sounding power tube. 12AX7’s are the input tubes and are widely used and not too expensive.P to P wiring is preferred over using circuit boards. I would ask how many hours are on the tubes, will they need replacing soon, is there a user manual, is there any transformer hum? (Some tube amps have a low-level hum that does not come through the speakers. It’s in their design). Ask if you can speak on the phone since it’s your first tube amp. It’s a good price, probably because of the chip in the wood body. Definitely not a deal breaker. I see your m2si has preamp outputs, so you're ok with just about any tube power amp. |
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