2. amps-preamps
  3. 1167713364

Newbie to tube amps - looking for specific rec's

I'm a newbie to tube amps and am mostly looking for one to play my vinyl collection, as I feel that from previous listening sessions, much of the old vinyl recordings (I grew up in Motown and have a LARGE collection) sound their best when played via tube amp. That being said, my Main Family listening area is a monstrous 20 X 60 X 12 area with half of it open on one side to a dining and kitchen area, so I think I'm going to stick with my (great value, IMHO) Paradigm Studio 100 ref V.3's and (this will send shock waves throughout some folks bodies, but I audioned MANY sides and rears over the last year and ended up with -- *gasp* the new Aperion bi/di-pole sides and surrounds - who 'nother discussion but these 12 ohm babies really sound terrific).

Back to the main point. I have another Listening Area which is small and in which I rotate various equipment (got some Linn Nexus fronts which I was just going to check out and then pack back away, but they're such incredible "monitor" speakers, I may keep them. Also some Meadowlark Shearwater hot rods, Ohm Walsh F's (another whole story), and others). This is the space I go into for Serious Listening. It's only about 12 X 40 X 10, with woodeen walls and blinds all around most sides, for nice acoustical dampening. This is also my "office" and the area where I bring my vinyl "into" the digital world. I use a non-RIAA turntable through a single-tube phono amp, then sample at 192khz and apply the RIAA curve via software. This results in a typically great digital representation, but I would like to check it against a "real" tube amp setup (I use a cheap HK AVR amp as a pre-amp). Oh yeah, I've got "Peter Gunn" re-doing some electrostat's for me and they'll go into my Listening Area as well.
So, I'd like a tube amp, but ideally it should be small footprint, not a lot of power, but give the utmost in "tubeness", to make a different between what I'm doing now and what it might provide. If such a thing is available, I would prefer one without RIAA and/or a switch to apply RIAA correction on/off.
Oh yeah, and of course, I don't want to spend a lot of money (hopefully not more than $1k, given how little it'll be used), and I am not averse to kits if that's a rec'd optoin (I've built discrete and op-amp kits in the past). Whew! So, what's the "Best Amp" I should be looking for for under $1k? (I know, especially in this area that "Best" is highly subjective, but perhaps folks could at least say "not one of those jobs they're shipping out of Honk Kong for $400 a pop!). TIA,
Terry
tlparker
jax2
3,031 posts
 
I don't know your speakers that well, but matching speakers with amps is quite critical, especially since you are asking about "not a lot of power". I personally wouldn't summarily reject the amps being made in China, but since that is your request I'll not mention any. Quicksilver makes some astoundingly good tube amps for very fair prices. Their Mini-Mites are a stellar bargain, and would do your tastes in Motown justice with the right speaker. You did not mention which preamp you'd be using - that would be another critical part of the equation. The MM are around 35wpc: typically I'd suggest speakers with an efficiency rating of at least 88db in that huge family room you mention. A bit less in the smaller room. That is if you like to listen at moderately loud sound levels on occasion. Efficiency is just a general guideline; you should really check with others using your specific speakers to see how well they match up with lower powered tube amps. Pardon me if you already know all that, but the Quicksilvers are a no-brainer in the sub $1K category.

Marco
elevick
2,636 posts
 
Lose the HK and buy an integrated with a small external Phono pre. Something like a Jolida would work well and a parasound PPH100 for about $100. The biggest problem you may face is driving your electrostatics...
More to discover