Vintage Tube Amps, I'm Lost


I want to try a few of the older vintage tube amps just for the fun of it. When I looked into them, I was overwhelmed. Dynaco ST-70, Fisher, Scott, Eico, Lafayette, Harmon Kardon Citation. OK, I want to keep it simple and try a few of these. Here are some parameters: Stereo power amp, 35-50 wpc RMS. Any recommendations you have between the list above would be helpful. Also, there are a ton of guys modifying these amps. Anyone you prefer over the other and why. If you prefer not to mention some information, then email me directly. I'd like to narrow down my choices and buy something to play with.

I thought that the Dynaco ST-70 would be a great place to start but someone told me the Fisher and Scott amps are preferred to the Dynaco amps by people who have experience with vintage tube gear.

Thanks and Happy Listening
bigkidz

Showing 1 response by s23chang

Dynacos are actually cheap compared to other popular vintages.
First of all, you need to figure out exactly how much power is needed. 35-50... I would pick 50 just to be safe.

2nd, depends on the speaker design, some amps sound better with enclosed vs ported or vise versa.

Unless it is super rare collector's item like Marantz 9/10B, I wouldn't worry much about the upgrades. Just make sure that you don't pay much higher price for them. Worst case you can replace to desire parts yourself.

What's the right budget? you decide. If you want to get a collectable unit then you got to pay the price. At same time, these units will hold its value unless you over pay too much.

For any unknown or less known, $200 to $600 is the most I would pay since you can't dump them for any higher price after you decide not to keep it.

For the power you need, Push pull KT88/7027A/6550 would be the primary choice. Some Quad tube EL34 amp (Marantz 9) would be nice but pricy. Other slightless less power ones like 5881 or 6L6GC would be 2nd choice.