Shall i try a tube amp?

Hi all. I am placing you all on high ground as i need some advice. I have never had a tube amp and i have no idea how to use one. I have no idea what tube amp to consider and i would not know a bad one from a good one. I would not know how to change the tubes if needs be and to be honest i am a real fish out of water when it comes to tubes. Can you advise me? Over to you my trusted forum members and be kind to me. xx

 

Budget and the other equipment you have?

 

I have no idea about how much they cost. I am not a rich man!! I have listed all my gear on my profile

 

I bought a used Primaluna Prologue One as my first integrated tube amp a few years ago — and I've still got it in my main system and doubt it'll be replaced any time soon. The amp sounds phenomenal and is idiot-proof with the auto bias built in — no need to bias tubes, ever...just plug and play. 34 w/ch of sweet, sweet EL34-based power - enough to drive my Harbeth C7s nicely. With your 88.5db speakers you won't need any more power than that, and could probably get away with less.

Swapping tubes, in general, is quite easy — you pull the old one out, position the pins in the right place and push the new one in. If you can change a lightbulb you can change tubes.

I'd say look for a used, modern integrated from companies that consistently get good reviews like Primaluna, Line Magnetic, Cary, Rogue, etc. as a first amp unless you can find a nicely updated and restored old amp from a good trustworthy seller. Used gets you more for your money, and if you don't like the sound it's easier to sell and get back what you paid for it. Used also gives you cash left over to buy different tubes for the amp as you'll invariably start to do once you get up and rolling...

 

What are you dissatisfied about in your current system? Or what are you hoping to achieve by moving to tubes?

 

I got this Bellari tube preamp and it made a big difference. Was like going from 2D to 3D. I highly recommend it if you're not looking to spend big bucks. https://www.amazon.com/Bellari-VP130-Preamplifier-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B002TD4GME

 

Yes, get a tube amp.

 

No, don't get a tube amp.

 

I agree; you might like it and then you're doomed. The good ones are expensive and high maintenance.

 

Subjectively, not true.

 

I wouldn't want one.

 

If you're looking for distortion induced nirvana go for it.

 

Already info I had after glancing at your username.

 

If you want to transcend the boundaries of SS, then yes, yes you shall.

 

I started with a used Jolida JD-302B. It was a few year old when I bought it. 20 years later, it still works perfectly. I replaced it with Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum because I somehow walk out of an audio shop with a sweet deal on a pair of Magnepan 1.7 speakers and the Jolida struggled to power them.

The Jolida has been regulated to my office setup, but it's a great starter amp. It runs on quartet EL-34 power tubes with pairs of 12at7 (drivers) and 12ax7 (pre-amp) tubes. None of the these tubes are particularly expensive. Sure you can spend some money on NOS tubes, but, there are plenty of options for new production tubes for all of these tubes. The smaller tubes last a lot longer than power tubes. But you can still expect around 2000 hours on the EL-34 tubes. This amp was used with Vandersteen 1C speakers. It worked perfectly with these speakers. ICs don't really demand a lot of power, so a 50 WPC tube amp is more than enough to drive them.

I can't say I would necessarily recommend this amp, as any available would be 20 year old. But an amp with these tubes sets would be great to get an introduction to tubes. The whole point of tubes to me is having options. In the case of a starter amp, it's good to be able to afford tubes to try out. So my advice would be to research the cost of tubes before you bought anything. Get an amp where there are a good choice of tubes that range for very expensive NOS tubes and relatively low cost new production ones. This will allow you to try different combinations, yet give leave you with an upgrade path. You really aren't going to understand tubes until you try different ones out. So, start with inexpensive ones that are similar to NOS tubes you are interested in. If they work out, you may wish to look for a good deal on NOS or well graded used ones.

With the Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum, I really don't have options with the power amps. To my knowledge, there is still only on manufacturer of KT120 tubes. But, there are some great options replacing the front end tubes as they are 12au7 and 12ax7 tubes. This is a great amp that isn't crazy expensive, but it offers power at 100 WPC. They have more than enough power for the Maggies. I recently replaced the KT120 tubes. These aren't cheap, but they aren't too bad. I paid about $200 for new set of matched quads. When the original set failed, it blew a fuse. This is will protect the amp from starting a fire with a powering a bad tube. So, you really should have spare fuses. Buy spare fuses then throw them in the box so you know where to find them when you need them. There will probably be one for the power supply and one for each of the power tubes. Trust me, it's better to have these ahead of time, as you'll likely forget about these when a tube fails. Then you'll have to figure out what you need last second. You don't want to be figure this out when you need them. Slow blow or fast blow? Are they 1", 1-1/2"? Buy them well ahead of time and make sure they match the spares that are included with the amp. This will save you a bit of grief. Radio Shack doesn't exist anymore. So you may run into trouble finding a very specific fuse. They exist, but fuses aren't as easy to get as they used to be.

 

I have been on a similar search for awhile... I had always owned solid state gear, from 35 watts per channel to 300. Many audiophiles claim that just the opposite, low wattage tubes, sounds the best to them. I decided I needed to explore this in my own home.
I bought a KingKo Audio KA-101, 12 wpc, push/pull, el84 primary tubes. I chose this because it was well reviewed, less then $800 shipped to the door, and el84 tubes have a reputation for being musical, inexpensive, longevity, and widely available. It left money available to purchase upgrade/vintage tubes... There are many good options available. You will have to decide on vintage vs newer, circuitry layout such as; set, push/pull, otl, high wattage vs low wattage, ect..
One advantage to buying a classic vintage tube amp, if you take your time and buy well, and you decide tubes are not for you, you can resell for your investment cost. Another concern should be what speakers are you using? Your options become more limited when switching from solid state to tube amplification, unless using very high powered tubes, which raises a whole different set of concerns.

For myself, I have not reached a conclusion about which approach sounds best to me... I did not have a "wow moment" thinking this is what I have been missing. I found the difference more subtle and may still end up with tube amplifiers being the long-term end result... I may try a well regarded set amp next.
I seem to be coming to the conclusion that speakers matter much more then amplifier and that is where most of the money should go.

 

Do it, you’ll figure it all out. Just buy something used and you can’t get out of it for the same money you it doesn’t work out for you or you way to upgrade.

 

Tube amps are fun. You can roll the tubes and change the sound to your own taste. You don't have to spend a lot of money on tubes, there are many reissued tubes that are quite affordable. Buying the older original versions can become very expensive with debatable results. Tube amps sound different than their solid state brethren with IMHO a better midrange and a more liquid sound. Solid state amps have IMHO tighter fuller bass giving more slam and a bit more top end. I enjoy having both systems, a tube setup and a solid state setup.

 

Long live SS. Better for extreme styles.

 

SS for rock, definitely tubes for smooth jazz.

 

There is a small selection of speakers that sound really good on tubes. But not many. Proac comes to mind.

 

Tubes make music sound so much 'musical' and 'natural'.
They are a beautiful thing.

 

A used Prima Luna is a good place to start to see if you like what it does. If you don't, you won't lose much on resale.

John K.

 

You could buy a modestly priced tube buffer try it see if you like the sound
If you do start reading as much about tube amplification as you can and really
Start saving money and if you don't like it just resell the buffre

 

If you are considering separates, I would say go with a tube preamp and SS power amp. A lot more tube goodness to be found on the preamp side, and you can get a nice SS power amp for a LOT less than a good tube power amp.

Or find a nice used Cronos Magnum, pop a nice 1963ish RCA Cleartop in the center position and sit back and enjoy!