"Tubey" sounding tube preamps?

Looking for suggestions so I can compile a list of tubey sounding tube preamps..

NOT muddy or soft, but romantic, with a bit of golden tube glow in the presentation.

 

All of the Audible Illusions...

 

Are they current production? I should have noted that in my OP.

 

McIntosh MX110

 

cool, thanks.

 

Beat me to it. Everyone a winner when they were introduced and all hold up quite well even the 80s models with a bit of restoration. Still around the last I heard. Oh and their phono sections are fantastic.

I'd also add Quicksilver to the list and Leben.

Others that I would consider good examples of tubed pres that I've heard in say the last five years would be:

VTL: 2.5 is amazing, great phono section
Rogue Audio pretty much all winners
VAC (though on the very clean and less lush end of the spectrum) Signature is great.

Brands I personally don't care for but very tuby.

Conrad and Johnson: Classic 2 and ET3 very tuby and ET3 has a boatload of tubes in it.

 

Oh if we can throw in vintage I'd add Macintosh c20, c22 and mx110z. Love all three and very tuby. The c20 taking the cake when it comes to lushness. Its best described as rich and velvety.

Jadis jp200 is a classic

And of course a Fisher 400

 

Great info and I pretty much agree with your findings...although I do like CJ...

 

Joule Electra LA100 MKIII

 

CAT (Convergent Audio Technology) SL1 mk 2 or any of them. The epitomy of a 90s tube preamp statement product

 

Ah....good one..

 

I know it well..a fellow forum member and a local swears by CAT..very purist...no remote etc.

 

McIntosh C2300, ARC Reference 5SE, Rogue Audio Hera

 

Great preamps but the only one I'd consider really tubey sounding would be the Rogue. ARC reference gear is incredibly neutral and detailed

 

I've had an AI 3A (built 1997) for several years now, and I don't know that I'd call it "rich and tubey". It has some stereotypically "tubey" soundstaging, so to speak, but not like one of the older Mcintosh preamps, which are what I would think of in those terms; the Audible Illusions sounds more neutral than that, to my ear. Part of that is down to the type of tubes it uses, and that some tubes just don't last as long in those models...tube rolling isn't quite as easy in it. Some of the Shindo preamps may fit the bill here?

 

Audible Illusions preamps are on the warm side of neutral (my impression), but performance is very much tube dependent.

I love AI gear, but you're right, tube rolling ain't easy. AI preamps are notorious for going through NOS tubes like a hot knife through butter. The AI design drives tubes hard. Invariably 6DJ8 family tubes will perform to their limits in AI preamps ...for awhile. Alas, if you want longevity you're usually limited to Russian military types (ruggedized versions of 6922). These perform well and last, but without the delicious variety of NOS flavors only achievable through tube rolling. Some folks have had luck with 7DJ8 tubes in AI units due to the higher heater filament voltage although they're not recommended by the manufacturer (Art Ferris). On the plus side, 7DJ8 types offer more variety (lots of NOS 7DJ8's choices), but not all 7DJ8's will sound good, much less better than the Russian 6922.

Personally, I find most Russian 6922 tubes a bit sterile (too analytical) especially in the mids, but they're more consistent over the long haul than most other 6922 types. Just don't expect a warm, lush, romantic NOS sound signature from new production Russian valves. Like War & Peace, they're epic, but not anything like NOS types.

Recently I've discovered a rugged military type production tube that I really like in my AI line stage, the 6N11 (an inexpensive Chinese 6DJ8/6922 variant). So far these are amazing (great depth, sound staging, warmth and detail top to bottom), but having only had these puppies running in my line stage for a week, I'm not comfortable vouching for longevity (Note: AI preamps, unless unplugged, keep tube filament heaters running 24/7, one of the reasons I suspect they burn through NOS tubes so easily, but the 6N11 seems OK with it). What I've found is that the 6N11 (combined with Herbie's Tube Dampers) are rich, detailed and musical, without any microphonics (dead quiet background). Most of my tube rolling is now further upstream, on the 6SN7 side. There are lots of NOS 6SN7 varieties to work with, and my ModWright OPPO player's tube circuit doesn't drive them hard. Now that's fun!

Sorry about the length of this response. I got carried away waxing poetic when it's all just an Audible Illusion.


Cat

 

Audio Mirror T-61 affordable giant killer too!

 

Cary SLP98

 

And like mentioned above, pretty much all of the CJ stuff.

 

I use a Pro-Ject Tube Box SE II, which was their top-line $700 phono stage, and very highly praised in the audio press. It is a "hybrid" design, a mixture of solid state and tube components, and the sound is excellent. It's the best phono stage I've owned, and I've bounced around a number of products in the $400 budget range.

I'm sure the expensive McIntosh gear will sound fantastic and kill the Tibe Box, but they also cost many times more. This Pro-Ject model was replaced by the Tube Box DS, which is a complete redesign, but is supposed to sound even better. I've love to test one for myself sometime.

 

+1.
IMHO, IF we are talking tube sounding preamps, we need to look back at some of the older vintage gear....an example being the original ARC SP1 or the Counterpoint SA3 or SA5. The older Marantz pieces would come to mind here as well. I do not think that any of the more recent gear....90's vintage on would really be applicable.

 

I generally agree with you but there are exceptions here and there....the Manley 300b preamp comes to mind..and maybe a few others.

 

CJ PV-2

 

So are you looking for current production tube preamps?