2. amps-preamps
  3. 1225576099

Can excellent tubes transcend modest amps?

I am wondering how far a good but not amazing amp design with decent parts such as Antique Sound Lab AQ1003 DT or a Jolida 302B can be improved by putting top notch NOS tubes? In other words, is it worth buying a used $500 integrated and give it an extreme tube make over for $200-400 rather than buying say a PrimaLuna or Cayin in the $800-900 range with its stock tubes?
kanuk
newbee
4,751 posts
 
Well I tend to agree with Audiofeil. That is not to say that the OEM tubes are WAS, just that you can usually, for just a few more dollars, get new production alternatives that will be quite suitible for you. You don't need to spend big bucks on NOS tubes to get a good result when you are using modest components unless you are seeking a very specific result and you can't find a new production tube that will get you there.
nilthepill
842 posts
 
No! Agree with Newbee and Bill.
jaybo
4,478 posts
 
no, but well designed loudspeakers can
gs5556
1,209 posts
 
The price difference of most tube amplifiers has more to do with power supply, voltage regulation and output transformer quality than what type of tubes they use. Tube rolling is basically a tweak; so I doubt you're going to turn a $200 amp into a $1000 amp with just tubes. Also remember that amps made in China are much cheaper than elsewhere so the quality comparison shouldn't be readily assumed by a labor rate differential.
jb0194
476 posts
 
Answer: no
More to discover