Compact Low-Powered Amp Recomendations?


Can anyone recommend a compact amp to use with small full-range speakers? I only need ~10 watts (office system). I would prefer a used tube amp (one that does not generate a lot of heat) for less than $400. Doable? Thanks!
steveh_houston
It used to be very doable but now that copper costs a fortune, there are fewer options. I would look for Antique Sound Labs Wave 8 monoblocks. There is a pair for sale here now (I have no affiliation whatsoever). You will get much more power supply with them than you would with a stereo amp - and that is important IMO. And they are quite small.

Arthur
Hummm, the seller of those ASL WAVE 8's is asking nearly double what they sold for brand new a few years ago. Admittedly they were a bargain at $99/ea. (no cage), $119/ea. (w/tube cage), but $400 seems a bit obscene to me.

Another nice choice would be a Sophia Baby. I saw one here recently for $295. There is a small tube amp kit called SPUD being sold on the Hawthorne Audio site for $285. You would need to build it, but it looks like an easy build.

You might want to consider the simplicity of something like the Trends 10.1. It cost $150 brand new and it has gotten excellent reviews. Another choice might be the Super-T amp from Sonic Impact, $139 brand new and it has also gotten favorable reviews. Both the Trends and SI Super-T would produce basically zero noticable heat.

Enjoy,

TIC
I have a Sophia Baby...very nice. Also Sophia made an el34 amp that has been dc'd but is available on A'gon for 400 to 500
All,

Thanks for the feedback. I am now leaning more towards the purchase of a low powered integrated (more flexible). Any ideas?

Steve