Cayin A88-T used is in your price range. Also, Prima Luna.
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It would help to know the size of your room, music preference, and how loud you like to listen.. There are a lot of good choices.. If you are in a moderate size room listening at moderate levels, the Coincident Dynamo 34SE MK III amplifier could be really nice.. the mkII has received nice reviews ( Editor’s Choice TAS, Blue Note Award by enjoythemusic, Positive Feedback ) and the mkIII has some nice upgrades |
the room I'm not entirely sure how to define, kind of an open concept condo living room maybe 10ft wide and 30 ft long leading into other open areas...kitchen/dining area/hallway hardwood floors, no carpeting, speakers will be positioned in the corners (replacing Forte III's) I'm going to get a 10x6 rug to place the speakers on listen to all kinds of music, will be using various digital sources and looking to upgrade that in the future but primarily for the time being an LG V30 connected directly to amp that vsi55 sold used here for a steal not too long ago I think around $1500 canadian and was sold in like one day, lol I've accepted that this will not be my last amp, over time want to try out a collection of different tube amp types and maybe some solid state |
Decware is a good suggestion...w/the Cornwalls efficiency and sensitivity you don't need a ton of power if you go tubes. I've owned the Cronus Magnum, ARC Vsi55, Cary sli-80 and believe they are overkill powerwise w/cornwalls. Of the 3 I liked the Cary the best by a long shot. I've found that smaller tubes amps w/just enough power sound much better than larger ones. 2 power or output tubes per channel is enough and easier to maintain. A triode stereo tube amp would be a great setup....have fun! |
With that sensitivity it opens the doors to a whole lot of very nice sounding SET's. low power ones too. friend has Le Scala's hooked to some 2wpc 45 tube based SET's they sound amazing he paid less then 1500 for his mono amps and a Decware pre. Another company to consider it Finale Audio -Triode labs out of Toronto Canada they make all their stull in north America too. I run one of their more expensive SET 300b based offerings but they are wonderful sounding amps and have new in your price range. That said I would also consider Schitt audio maybe a Frays pre and an Ager 20wpc class A amp. bet that would be a great pairing too and give you both SS and Tubes to play with. After that i'm thinking vintage tube integrated with some upgrades. |
You have a pretty large room (10x30) and you need an amp that can also control the large woofer.. not sure that I would start with a low power SET... I think a push-pull in the 15-20W range is a safer bet.. check out some of the online Klipsch Communities there is quite a bit of discussion related to appropriate amps for Cornwall III |
thanks, these are great suggestions this company offers both an set and push pull in my price rangehttps://www.idealinnovations.biz/ Finale audio seems amazing also, their product line though at least at first glance seems super extensive and as such a little confusing and overwhelming both of the above are within driving distance for me, I'll be reaching out, if they're agreeable might be worth my while to drag my speakers there are used premium tube integrated amps in vogue at the moment? when I search historical used listings from 2-3 years ago there seems to have been a ton of em at great prices from the big names, now I'm seeing crazy prices on the good stuff |
another question please can I place the amp on top of one of the speakers without running into any issues? I would place an isolation pad between the amp and speakers I'm trying to save space and skip an audio rack I will have an upright piano between the speakers (never used) and my other option is to sit the amp on the piano, will still use an iso pad |
My 1st question would be, what are you not liking about the Forte 111s ?, although, they are not optimum in corners because of the rear facing passives, so that could be it. If corner placement is desirable, get a pair of 2nd hand Lascalas, as they are in another league over both the Forte and Cornwall ( imo, ime ). Modifications galore for Lascala. Stay away from flea watt amps at this time ( 2-3 watts ), as you need damping to control those woofers ( any of them ). Have you heard a tube amp on the Fortes ? Why have a piano in between the speakers ? if ( 1 ), it is never used, and ( 2 ) you are needing space. BTW, I do not recommend corner placement, if you can help it. Enjoy the journey. MrD. |
They are terrific speakers, and high efficiency is what you want to use tubes. Their efficiency is 102db, which is far above most speakers. How much power ___wpc needed? I have very similar speakers, horns and 15 inch woofers, efficiency over 100 as well. Mine were originally driven with 30wpc in 1956. Over the years I have driven them successfully without distortion with as little as 15 wpc, 35 wpc, and now 45 wpc. My tube amp is switchable, 22 wpc triode/45 wpc ultralinear. the 22 wpc is easily enough, but I prefer the sound of the ultralinear, and extra power for instantaneous bursts never hurt anyone. That high efficiency ensures you will be using the amp and pre-amp in their low volume range, far easier to avoid hum, hiss, ... any problem that might present itself when used near full power. Luckily, yours are 8 ohm, all amps, old and new have 8 ohm outputs (verify what you select of course). My speakers are 16 ohm, my options are reduced. ........................................ eric mentioned the Cayin A88T. I agree, it is hard to beat. It is a modern integrated tube amp, with 4 inputs and remote control of them and the volume, wonderful features that I enjoy. You can plug any 'line level' source directly into it, no preamp needed, or, use a pre-amp for balance/tone controls, and/or Phono Equalization and phono 'low' signal boost. I just got one, I love it, it is a beauty inside and out, and sounds awesome. It has 3 versions, only mk1 provided 16 ohm output for my 16 ohm speakers. however, mk1, the bias adjustment is inside, difficult access, and dangerous if you don't know what you are doing. Later versions have safe and easy external bias adjustment, that would be better for you. https://6moons.com/audioreviews/cayin/a88t.html ..................................... More power? Keep in mind, you may want to try different speakers in the future, and you may need more power then as they are unlikely to be as efficient as the Klipsch. Price goes way up with tube equipment as output power rises. ............................................. You are going to get a lot of suggestions, and the most confusing suggestions about this tube, that tube, upgraded innards, .... I suggest you make some notes as you go, and I would make my decision on a standard version, make changes, if any, in the future. ................................. btw, Power tubes are rated for 10,000 hours, divide that by your estimated yearly use, it will be many many years, so don't jump into new tubes right away. |
do I now understand you don't already own the speakers? that room, only 10 feet wide, is not easy for any sound setup, the speakers are probably going to be in and stay in the corners. Cornwalls are not near corner speakers. And too big to move around such a narrow room, especially with a piano between them. For that room, I would go for primaries with limited bass extension, getting bass reinforcement from the corner placement, and, after much listening, if then desired, add a self powered sub. I would avoid ports or passive radiators also. I mentioned my large speakers. TOOOOO much bass when in the corners. I need to move them out of the corners for listening, toe them in, and tilt them back slightly, They are well over 100 lbs, the Cornwalls are 98 lbs. I built a base to tilt them slightly, and conceal 3 large casters (2 in front, 1 in rear, 3 always level themselves without shims). Large casters, if you have wood floors, to avoid marks in the floor, any weight distributed by 3 is heavier per leg/support/spike than 4: pounds per square inch, or pounds per caster contact surface, or pounds per spike. |
the speakers are here just not set up, I want to have all my gear ready before I go through the trouble of moving the fortes, new rug install, possibly a second rug to replace another one in the room that my gf is concerned about "not" matching the new one, oh and apparently a new vacum for the new rugs also per the gf, lol i purchased those fortes without much thought, very new to this whole thing I've since begun to learn the beginnings of room acoustics and their importance to this equation the rugs I can get easy from a number of online shops, i have my source, wiring, iso pucks, iso pads, two aurulex great grammas if required yes my first used tube amp being of the older variety will look kind of wierd on the piano for the time being at this point I'm focused on getting the amp and will adjust things from there there are a few pieces that occassionally show up used online that I would grab in an instant but the prices seem to have gone up as mentioned previously, the Leben 300 xs is a good example of that as is the Audio Research vsi55 and the Line magnetic 518, I've seen all these listed at around $1500 US in the past, not so much nowadays |
Mystere IA-11 I have the Mystere amp but not ready to part with it yet, it’s that good. Designed and made by sister company PrimaLuna. Tight rhythmic bass and extended highs that are not rolled off. And auto bias to make maintenance low. https://www.upscaleaudio.com/products/mystere-ia11-integrated-amplifier http://www.mystere-eu.com/usermanuals/mystere_manual_ia11.pdf https://positive-feedback.com/Issue47/mystere.htm http://www.mystere-eu.com/products.php?p=ia11 |
OP said yes my first used tube amp being of the older variety will look kind of wierd on the piano for the time being I would much prefer seeing an old tube amp rather than a new one ANYWHERE. Any amp on a piano seems a bit rude to the piano, but, when younger I might have done it, do what you gotta do! Get listening! |
My $0.02 worth: look on craigslist or hifishark for a used Harman Kardon A224 Trio integrated amp for approx. $300. It's an EL84 unit made in the late 50s/early 60s and built like a tank. Very colorful and snappy. Have the caps replaces (all of them) for $150 and replace the tubes if necessary (maybe $75) and have a ball. The most sound for the buck I have heard in these audio price-inflated times. |
With Forte IIIs you can use anything from low wattage to whatever...If I didn't already own have a Dennis Had "Inspire Firebottle" single ended amp I'd seriously consider the Coincident Dynamo (nearly did when considering the Had amp, but was charmed by Had himself in a video, and the Firebottle was cheaper as a barely used 12wpc model). With a Schiit Freya this makes a combo that's hard to beat by any integrated...for something in the push-pull tube world I'd look at the new "Black Ice" stuff from re-named Jolida MD, as having owned a 502p amp I can vouch for their quality, and they're still relative bargains compared to other stuff out there. |
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That Harmon Kardon TRIO 224 sounded intriguing, I found this https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/105874/harman-kardon-trio I came across another TRIO the other day, different manufacturer. They never mention 'pre-amp', but they show phono inputs, but they don't mention if phono eq and/or tape head eq exists. HK 224 was new in 1958. Tape was stereo in 1956. LP stereo in 1958, soooo ... The HK has a switch on the back, I suspect it is one set of low level inputs, and the switch sends that input to either an internal phono eq, or to a tape head eq circuit, then on to the amp. I want hard facts. In any case, it is 12 wpc stereo, or 24wpc mono. I suggest you start your tube adventure with 30 wpc, so you can change to different speakers in the future. |
With very efficient speakers, there are a few McIntosh Pre-amps with enough power to drive speakers directly. This McIntosh C26 Pre-amp has a 10wpc amp, main and/or remote speaker terminals and face mounted push button selectors for those outputs. It could drive the Klipsch speakers directly. One advantage is of course sending pre-amp out to an amp for main speakers, and driving a set of efficient remote speakers directly from the C26. In any case, it is a terrific preamp, here's a listing that shows it well. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mcintosh-Preamplifier-C26/254293553227?hash=item3b3513b04b:g:v6wAAOSwDOZdJ306 |
ellittbnewcombjr wrote: "I want hard facts" |