Tube sites/books, recommendations please

You could check out Vacuum Tube Valley. I believe they've been out of print since 2004 or so, but tubedepot.com has the back issues for sale. It's a nice resource. Most of the books that I know/have are for amplifier design.

Hi Lensteve

One place to get great info about the different kinds of tubes is Brent Jessee Recording. The format of the site can take some getting used too but there is a lot of good information regarding various tubes.

Also a good read that many follow is FAQ's at Audio Asylum.."Joe's Tube Lore"...More than likely you will be using one of the tubes eveluated..
I personally can relate to his findings on 12ax7,5751 and 12au7 tubes......

Ditto the suggestion for Brent Jesse's informative website. He's also a very good source for reasonably priced, high quality tubes, as is Andy at Vintage Tube Services.

BTW, don't stop with just getting a tubed preamp... you have to go the full distance and switch to a tube amplifier. Trust me... once you try a decent tube amp, you won't ever be satisfied with solid state.

Pdreher, "BTW, don't stop with just getting a tubed preamp... you have to go the full distance and switch to a tube amplifier. Trust me... once you try a decent tube amp, you won't ever be satisfied with solid state."

I completely agree, and feel that's terrific advice. In fact, given the scenario where I could only choose of the two, I'd go with the tube amplifier. No doubt about it. Only a tube amplifier can truly provide the sound of tubes.

I would also agree with the Brent Jessie recommendation. He is very helpful and honest!

Thanks so much for the information thus far. It's certainly possible that one day I will get a tube amp, but recently I acquired a near mint McIntosh 2255 that was built in May of '82. This has been a long time want of mine and to me has a wonderful warm, yet accurate sound that I've always admired. I guess I'll see how it goes with the pre-amp and decide from there...again, thanks for the help.

Lensteve - what's the rest of your setup like? (Sources, power amp, speakers, cables, room dimensions, etc.)

Also a note on McIntosh - While I like their products and believe they're built extremely well, it's next to impossible to find a truly good deal on anything they've made. I wouldn't try to build the entire setup around McIntosh gear unless you can just throw around thousands like it's pocket change. A good idea would be to try to find someone in your area who's got a tubed setup and get to know them. Out of my tiny audiophile circle, I'm the only "tube guy", but my dad had tons of Mc, CJ, Fisher, Dynaco, and some older Citation amps.

Currently my setup is as follows:
Sources-McIntosh MVP-871 and Oppo 83 Exemplar edition
Power Amp-McIntosh MC2255
Pre-Amp-Utilizing my NAD T-765 Receiver via preouts (hence me purchasing pre-amp)
Speakers-Golden Ear Triton Two
Interconnects and speaker wire-Paul Spietz anti products
room dimension is 15'W, 12'Deep, 10'H

You can probably get plenty of juice from a ~35 wpc tube amp. I still suggest getting used to the MC2255 and find some nearby audiophiles to let you check out other pre's in the meantime. How do you like the Triton Two's? I auditioned them a while back and was underwhelmed, but my dealer didn't take much time setting them up and I'd just finished listening to Magnepan 3.7's. I kinda think the setup and quick switch didn't do them justice.

I have to agree with Pdreher and Trelja. The tube power amplifier will have far more impact than a tube preamp in regards to obtaining the'tube' experience.

I couldn't be happier with the Triton Twos. I've had them for over 6 months now and they still bring a huge smile to my face. It took me a little while to really dial in their positioning and the volume level of the dsp that controls the bass, but the soundstage is breathtaking and the detail is phenominal. The Maggie 1.7's was one of the many speakers I auditioned and it wasn't close for my ear. The 3.7's weren't in my tax bracket...lol