new integrated tube amp guidance


hey all! i am looking to make a serious upgrade to my setup in the coming months, and i am seeking advice on picking the right amp for me. budget-wise i am thinking $5000-$7000, though i am not opposed to buying used if i find the perfect match.

right now i am primarily a headphone listener but since this is a significant investment for me i am not looking for just a headphone amp, i am looking for something with enough headroom to drive all the headphones and speakers i could reasonably get my hands on as an upper middle class hifi nerd. the primaluna evo 300 is my current frontrunner, and i would consider its specs to be generally appropriate for my needs. i have also been eyeing the cary 300sei which i know is particularly well-loved, as well as the audio research i/50. i am not married to any one variety of tube, el34s and 300bs are all great as far as i’m concerned. :)

at this price point i am also hoping for something with as much point-to-point wiring as possible, i consider some pcb usage perfectly acceptable as in the evo series but i would prefer to avoid an amp that is all fr4 inside! i am also not really looking for a hybrid amp, i would prefer all tube.

a fairly major sticking point for me here is the ability to run either triode or ultralinear. i have an extremely diverse music collection that ranges from jazz and classical to harsh noise, and it is both in lossless and vinyl format. i feel like this would be a significant advantage for me and based on my research it seems as though the people with this capability do appreciate having it, but i’m not really sure if it’s really as important as i feel it is. 

thank you in advance!

rsx11m

@classdstreamer 

Hey so I’ve actually had a few speakers connected and they all sounded great , graham audio LS5/8s, the Graham 5/5- both sounded wonderful on it BUT the klipsch heresy 4 for the win. Incredible pairing - sounds ethereal. And dead silent. The amp doesn’t make a squeak in regard to mechanical buzz or hum. 

That Leben is very low power amp. Might be enough for horns but useless for anything else. In this case, I would go American, there are a few brands to consider. I wouldn't go below 50watt-60watt/channel regardless of speaker choice. More of a good power is always better.

You could also consider Octave from Germany and Allnic from South Korea. Both are in high esteem by audiophiles.

I’m familiar with both your choices- both have strong points.  Have you considered the ARC i-70?  It’s a sweet little amp and packs a punch. 
 

You probably won’t find a used one so if you’re budget conscious I’d spend 3500 or less for a good i-50.  
 

The resale seems better on the ARC integrateds.  
 

If you have a good dealer you could get each on approval and do an A/B in your listing room which IMO is the best way to buy.

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