I like the Line Magnetic LM-5180A. It is 40 watts SE with an 805 tube. I figure 805, 211 or 845 are not going to be that different sounding. And I can buy US made NOS 805 for $94 each. 6SL7 and 6SN7 are great preamp tubes. But, no one including Line Magnetic makes a new tube amp with tone controls. I use the tone controls on my vintage amp and they make quite a difference in sound quality when adjusted. Is there anyone that does include tone controls for $3K?
I had a digital EQ sitting in my system for almost 20 years. My tube amps helped make my system sound so fully satisfying on practically anything I played I never felt the need to use a tone control or EQ. So I finally sold it a while back. I'm a slow learner
I would prefer to add tone controls to an amp instead. Actually, a very simple circuit, but needs a tube to reamplify the signal. I am not quite there yet as my vintage amp is very good.
Luxman LX-380 has tone controls. Not sure if the price, but I assume close in price to the Line Magnetic 805. LX-380 | VACUUM TUBE AMPLIFIERS | PRODUCTS | LUXMAN | Seeking higher sound quality
How do you know that you need tone controls for an amp you haven’t heard? There is a reason that most high end modern equipment doesn’t have tone controls and it’s isn’t because of cost or the ability to do it. The overwhelming consensus is that it degrades sound quality. Specifically, it raises the noise floor. Units that have a button to by-bass that tone control circuit almost always sound better, cleaner, when you do. by definition, if you are using tone control, you are trying to fix a problem. Instead of fixing the problem, the tone control is covering it up. The best tone control is choosing the right combination of equipment, cables, tubes, room treatments and placement. I know there are many threads here where people argue passionately for tone controls. It’s a bit of a hot topic. I’ll say this, I put a lot of effort into buying tubes, I want to hear what they sound like not what they sound like to an eq circuit and a twisting of a knob. Keep it honest and clean.
I see you are NOT a digital user in your info. Why don't you get one of those wonderful The Fisher recievers that have been gone thru or Scott 299, , etc/// There is a Fisher 800B completely gone thru up right now at 2100. looks mint & completely gone thru. I like tone controls too. Are you on a SET journey.? I would say throw a PEQ in the mix but I see your not wanting SS or digital in your chain
It's a tube amplifier with a semiconductor front end for all the volume and tone adjustments, along with the phono stage, kind of like a L-590AX with power amp section replaced with tubes.
Why miss with the signal since it's already been eq'd when the recording was made ? I have single ended Ch-Fi tube preamp which I run all my sources through one of them being a vintage Harmon Kardon receiver and I use it for tuner purposes only no use of the treble, bass and tone controls, just let your the tube amp do it's thing enhance the music as it was recorded
Amps don't have tone controls. Tone controls would be in the pre-amp stage. So buy your modern tube amp and a separate modern tube pre-amp then add a Manley Massive Passive as your tone control.
I have all my components into a Eric Yam line selector available on Ebay for $99. Then I connect to a Schiit Lokius tone control and then on to the Aux input on either my Fisher 800C or Pioneer SX-850 receivers, or Croft Phono Integrated. The Lokius is superior to the Fisher and Pioneer’s built in tone controls, the Croft does not have them.
I know that there are those who prefer to have tone controls and those who don't. I'm a person who always had tone controls prior to my current set-up but over time used them less and less. In my very first system (a 1972 Marconiphone 4451), I used the tone controls to compensate for shortcomings in the loudspeakers that it came with. I also used a loudness control to give me a better sound at low volume, effectively compensating for the relatively low power of the amp. After I swapped the speakers for some Celestion County speakers in the early 1980s, I found that the best sound was to be had with bass and treble set to zero, i.e. 'flat'. Any boost or reduction of bass or treble just didn't sound right. I can't remember whether or not I still used 'loudness' but probably not. Prior to my current Croft kit, every subsequent integrated amp or preamp that I owned had tone controls, but I nearly always also had these controls set to zero or bypassed entirely as this did indeed provide the best sound to my ears. Nowadays, I have a Croft pre-power set-up with no tone controls and, to be honest, I don't miss them. I guess that what we really need to know is your tone control story For instance, are they normally set flat and only adjusted for specific recordings, or are they always set non-flat or.... In short, why do you use them and how do you use them? Also, have you auditioned the other amps that you mentioned? I also note that your Revel speakers are relatively inefficient and that your Allied receiver is quite low-powered. That will affect what you hear and, I suspect, might make the sound a bit weedy unless you really turn up the wick. Further, I note that the Revels have controls on the back to adjust for placement and also for treble volume. How are your speakers positioned and how are these controls set? (My gut feel is that the amp and speakers might not be a perfect match. A low-powered amp really needs efficient speakers, e.g. 90+ dB, and not 86.5 dB as per your Revels.) Over.
My Revel play with enough volume. I never have volume control over 3/4 and mostly just over 1/2. Some speakers are harder to drive due to dipping at times below 4 ohms. The Revel seem easy to drive. My amp is 12 watts RMS per channel. The treble control are about 3/4 of full. The bass slightly over 1/2. The settings does not change with different records. The Revel controls do not do much like the amp tone controls. I auditioned (owned) about 20 vintage tube amps, all except the DIY amps (4) had tone controls. But, have only used the Revel on my present amp. The Revel are 87dB or about normal efficiency. I realize most would want at least 93dB sensitive speakers with 12 watts, however I seem to have enough power. Reason I settled on the 12 watts is this amp is the best sounding I owned. Better than DIY PP 45 amp and slightly better than four PPP 6V6 in triode. I always use the best sounding NOS tubes. Makes a large difference too.
Are you talking about tube amps or tube integrated amps? I’ve never seen just an amp that has tone controls.
BYT- I would spend around $2500 for an integrated amp. Separate amp and preamp would likely be about $4K to $5K or more than I am willing to spend. It may be an option I buy a vintage preamp and rebuild it or simply build one. Then buy SE 805 main amp if one exists. Never thought of that.
Your thread title says “amp” and you are discussing an integrated that has a preamp built into the same chassis. Mr. Sandwich is correct, Amps don’t have tone controls, preamps do. The solution to your “question” or whatever you are doing with this thread is right there for you. Get separates and a preamp with tone controls or add an EQ. The theoretical advantages of having internal eq are much less compelling than not having them at all or using an external.
I have a friend I play guitar with who has a beautiful PRS. I love that guitar and every time I ask to play it his strings are dead as hell. It annoys me beyond description, I buy my strings by the box and change them when they start to go bad, I love the sound and feel of a new set of strings. I’ll ask, how can you play on these dead strings? His response “I just turn up the treble on the amp and when I run out of knob I’ll change the strings”. I think that pretty much sums up tone controls. In the case of home stereo equipment, there are albums that sound bad, need EQ and there is always the compelling obsessive desire to think you know better than the band and engineers as it relates to their EQ choices. I’ve been there and the reality is fussing with settings constantly rather than listening to music. I would much rather address the tone of my system through choices that create synergy and have a constant sound for each album I play. If you are comparing various pressings, remasters or different masterings, the only variable should be the album not your EQ settings. Tone controls are an attempt to make dead strings playable. Just change the strings. If you feel your system needs more bass, treble or mid range, get different tubes, cables, speakers or room treatments. If you’re an audiophile, that’s the fun, that’s the hobby. I’d you don’t care about that stuff and can’t be bothered, tone controls are a great choice.
I would only use equalization to correct for (practically) unsolvable room and system interactions. I prefer to leave the rest to the recording and if I don’t like it find a better one if available. Equalization can certainly help where no amount of system tweaking can. Otherwise build the perfect room but all that that still will not help a really poor recording.
