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typical problems with low end int. tube amps?

I am on a budget. Putting together a beginner system with von schweikert vr2100 floor standing speakers, 10" woofer, 5.5mid, 1inch tweet front, 1" ambient tweet back, 27hz-20khz, 91db, 10-250watt recommended power. Room about 13' by 20'. Interested in using an integrated tube amplifier. I know from experience that an inexpensive SS. amp (around $750) will often end up sounding bright and in your face, harsh, difficult to listen to (especially when I had a set of small thiel speakers). I have a fisher 500-c tube receiver that has been worked on by the "fisher doc", sounds very warm and nice on a small monitor system as a second set-up in my house.

If I go out and get a new or slightly used Audiogon purchased integrated tube amp, like Jolida or Rogue, etc. for around $750, I am thinking I would be more happy with a low end tube than low end SS. I FIND THE MOST UPSETTING FACTOR IN AN AMP TO BE OVERLY BRIGHT AND THIN SOUNDING, JUST GIVES ME A HEADACH.

This is the question: What typical problems are there with low end tube amps? Can they be as bright and harsh as an SS? Or perhaps so flat and muddy, or just plain weak in the bass that they feel thin? Slow? Bad soundstage.

Please help, I am in the bottom of a deep well in the world of audiofiles.
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Showing 1 response by trelja

trelja
3,223 posts
 
The two biggest problems I find with low end tube amps are:

1) Lack of power - Jolida
2) Lack of refinement - Rogue

Either one can be addressed via other components in the chain. But for me, personally, I find lack of refinement to be a problem several orders of magnitude worse. You can always find a way to make up for a lack of power - mostly through a more efficient loudspeaker or a nifty device I have discovered which doubles the loudness of a system.

If you happen to pick up an amp which has both, you are REALLY working against yourself.

The other problems you may face, and may or may not be important to you are deficiencies at the frequency extremes. These are mostly a function of circuit topology and transformers, but can be altered to varying degrees by tube selection.
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