Members Seattle Doug Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 Hi dudes? Do any of you have interested in tube hi-FI? I'm talking about stereo tube amp and preamp, not 5.1 etc etc. Just really good stereo tube audio for your music listening pleasure. Would that be cool or am I stupid? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KCTigerChief Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 Hi dudes? Do any of you have interested in tube hi-FI? I'm talking about stereo tube amp and preamp, not 5.1 etc etc. Just really good stereo tube audio for your music listening pleasure.Would that be cool or am I stupid? It would be cool to have hi quality stuff at affordable prices. Look into some of the prices of this stuff man. But to answer you questions, ABSOLUTELY! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mamberg Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 I would be interested, but the audiophile stuff that is out there now (and there is alot of it) is so overpriced it's ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MattACaster Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 Odd timing. I was just Google-ing tube pre and power amps for music about 10 minutes ago. Was trying to get an idea what that woudl run me. Didn't like the results... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KCTigerChief Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 There is most certainly a market for cheaper equipment. BUT...you HAVE to make it quality. There's going to be cork sniffers who won't bother, but there are going to be guys like a few of us who want to get into Tube Hi-Fi, but don't want bottom of the barrel performance because that's all we could afford, ya know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarbilly74 Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 I am not, because most of my music is in digital format anyway and I am not plugging my iPod into a tube amp. Doesn't make any sense. I still have some old CDs and vinyl records from back in the day but I rarely listen to them these days because the iPod is so much more convenient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ~Abstract~ Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 I would LOVE a 2 channel stereo tube amp with quality sound. I've been kicking around building a kit because the options are so expensive. And NO British tubes (EL84/34)...they have a "tone" that is very pronounced at high volumes. Please stick with 6V6/6L6/and KT's. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members emtoth Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 Ha- I have been wanting to try out something like this for stereo listeninghttp://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=QIA6000II it is 16 tube watts- so it should be able to be heard?and- its kinda cheap!http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=VIV60or this!!!!I like integrated amps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zhorellski Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 I bet me HD500 would sound fantasiabulously on a hifi stereo toobz maps with audiopidophelia speakers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bdubbs Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 Very interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members karlw Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 The best stereo system I ever had was all tube, all class -A. The preamp was a Conrad-Johnson PV10a feeding a Golden Tube Audio 40 WPC class-A power amp. I think I bought the power amp used, but the preamp was new back in '95 or so. Speakers were Vandersteen 2Ce. The only think I still have from that system is the VPI HW19-II turntable. Let me tell you, it was badass being able to listen to really nice vinyl on that system - all class A. Just a very sweet, detailed sound with killer ambient details but plenty of slam. Real 40 WPC into efficient speakers is plenty of power. Why did I get rid of it? Wifey and I bought our first hous in '98 and it had a small living room so I needed to downsize. Also, the tube power amp in particular drew 300 W out of the wall, and was quite hot when it was on. I sold the preamp and the power amp and got a YBA Integre DT which is a 50 WPC integrated amp. It's nice, but does not compare with the all-tube setup. It was also 1/2 the cost and draws far less power out of the wall, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LA-Ü-RA Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 I would LOVE a 2 channel stereo tube amp with quality sound. And NO British tubes (EL84/34)...they have a "tone" that is very pronounced at high volumes. Please stick with 6V6/6L6/and KT's. Thank you. Ditto! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members teemuk Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 When it comes to listening music with less than 1% of distortion I don't really care if the amp has tubes or transistors. Makes no damn difference. Investing on good loudspeakers on the other hand... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ~Abstract~ Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 When it comes to listening music with less than 1% of distortion I don't really care if the amp has tubes or transistors. Makes no damn difference.Investing on good loudspeakers on the other hand... A poweramp will likely have 1% distortion off idle.You won't even hear there IS distortion until around the 5% mark. (and that's critical listening)And with tubes, that distortion has a pleasing musical quality which the SS amp won't possess...you'll just enjoy listening to the tube amp more. If you don't like loud music...I would have to assume you don't like music at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members teemuk Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 And with tubes that distortion has a pleasing musical quality which the SS amp won't possess. I thought were were talking about Hifi, e.g. 0.02% THD. ...Not about amps with quite high percentages of "musical distortion". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ~Abstract~ Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 I thought were were talking about Hifi, e.g. 0.02% THD. ...Not about amps with quite high percentages of "musical distortion". All "tube amps" have "high percentages of musical distortion". 0.02% is laughable. You're about 2 orders of magnatude low. EVEN when talking about audiophile grade equipment at low listening levels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ENdtime Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 Yes, I'm interested in that.. But the probability of me ever buying one and putting together a truly bad ass hi-fi stereo is really low.. A friend of mine has an awesome tube stereo.. Without a doubt he has a great set up and he swears it's his tube power amp. But my monitors for my DAW are a great listening platform as well, so I would never buy a tube hi Fi power amp, despite my interest in one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members teemuk Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 I dunno, my cheapie Pioneer amplifier does the low THD thing just fine. Then again it's not a tube LoFi amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wyatt Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 I would LOVE a 2 channel stereo tube amp with quality sound. I've been kicking around building a kit because the options are so expensive. And NO British tubes (EL84/34)...they have a "tone" that is very pronounced at high volumes. Please stick with 6V6/6L6/and KT's. Thank you. Yes, because no one wants those Marantz, Conrad Johnson, Audio Note, etc. And KT's are all British tubes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members newholland Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 i have tube hifi gear. i love it. it's a whole different ball of wax making a system though. tubes operate in a completely different way than solid state (well.. in terms of headroom-- they amplify stuff-- but it's not quite as simple as plugging speaker x to amplifier y)-- there's lots of maintenance-- and efficient crossovers and speaker drivers are really important. modern speakers and tube hifi do NOT like each other due to {censored}ed up impedance curves of modern drivers and really complex crossovers just demolishing things sonically. so if you start down that road.. it's either stick with a VERY simple system or prepare to do a lot of learning, or a lot of buying and selling.. my system's all tube though-- a melos preamp and a 1956 eico hf87 that's been triode strapped with a set of home built altec bass boxes and horns i built the crossover for. pretty glorious sounding stuff, and i didn't die spending for it either. but it took a long many years to get it right too.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 A lot of audiophiles swear by tube amps, but most of them are nuts. I'd rather have a LOT of good clean solid state power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members newholland Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 A lot of audiophiles swear by tube amps, but most of them are nuts. I'd rather have a LOT of good clean solid state power. that route with a nice tube pre is also a really nice combo. my first big rig was an adcom 555 and a conrad johnson pv7.. loverly. but man is solid state a LOT easier... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members newholland Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 in the meantime-- op-- look at this company. they're local here, and i owned one of their amps a while ( a 302). nice sounding for the scratch. http://www.jolida.com/product/tubeamp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members karlw Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 All "tube amps" have "high percentages of musical distortion". 0.02% is laughable. You're about 2 orders of magnatude low. EVEN when talking about audiophile grade equipment at low listening levels. Those numbers are in the ballpark when it comes to things like line-level preamps, solid-state power amps within their range, etc. But certainly not for any kind of transducer (phono, speaker). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ~Abstract~ Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 Yes, because no one wants those Marantz, Conrad Johnson, Audio Note, etc. And KT's are all British tubes. And some people like the sound of british (flavored) tubes. For me...and guitar...yes, I like British tubes. For me...and audio...not so much. 6L6's and 6V6's are much more transparant. KT's don't have the upper end spike EL84's do...Or do you disagree with that also? On topic, I'd REALLY be interested in a dual channel single ended amp. If you could swap tubes at will...ala Jet City nano...that would be a NICE bonus. So basically, 2 JetCity Nano's in a single box. With HUGE iron. And a flat EQ curve. And maybe resonance and presence controls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.