Members jimSG Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 OP (Seattle Doug): Suggest passing on this one. I don't have the data to back it up, but my first take on it is that it won't be worth the effort. The low end market is just a mirage and the high end market is already too crowded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members newholland Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 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. hey-- el34 amps can sound pretty great! i've had a few, but i like 'em best with 6ca7's to flatten out the bottom a bit- or at least mine've responded well to them. 84's sound great too.. you just haveta know your limits. i think if i had my druthers i'd run only 2a3s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wyatt Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 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. I don't have a single miniature tube in my entire hi-fi setup....no EL84 and no 12AX7 or 12AU7; just octals -- the phono preamp, line preamp and driver tubes are a mix of 6SJ7, 6SL7, 6SN7 and power tubes are EL34. I'm no fan of power beam tubes for hi-fi, the EL34 and KT66 were designed by the British specifically for hi-fi because they weren't satisfied with the 6L6; and I just don't find 6V6's full-range enough for hi-fi use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LaXu Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 Have had a chance to listen some pretty high end (or at least very very expensive) systems and to me it never made any real difference whether there was a hifi tube amp in the mix or not. They all sound pretty much great but the cost vs quality ratio was rather poor because they sure didn't sound THAT much better than my Cambridge Audio amp and Magnat speakers. I'm sure at loud volume, in a room made purely for music listening they would be great but I don't have that kind of space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ovid9 Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 OP (Seattle Doug): Suggest passing on this one. I don't have the data to back it up, but my first take on it is that it won't be worth the effort. The low end market is just a mirage and the high end market is already too crowded. This seems the most likely case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MahaloVision Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 I'd definitely be interested in a reasonably priced tube phono preamp that would allow me to connect my old B&O TX to my generic AV system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ~Abstract~ Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 I would mainly be using it for iPod so I'd prefer some sort of preamp in the box too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members David Simpson Posted May 30, 2012 Members Share Posted May 30, 2012 I've thought about hooking up the McIntosh C22 preamp to these for the fun of it. Mike told me they would work great. Havent got around to it however... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TheRymanChu Posted May 31, 2012 Members Share Posted May 31, 2012 I would mainly be using it for iPod so I'd prefer some sort of preamp in the box too. This is the market to concentrate on. Something with an iPod dock and good DAC chips like the Wadia 151, but with a 6SN7, 6H30P, 7193 or 12AU7 based valve preamp and KT88 or 300B based power amp. Look at the designs of the McIntosh 275, Cary CAD 300, Cary CAD 120S, Jolida JD 801, Jolida JD300B and Leak TL/12. The McIntosh uses ECC83 or ECC81 pres, but has been an industry staple for 40 years. You do not want to target the Audiophile crowd, they are near impossible to please unless a noted audiophile approves and they turn their noses up at anything that costs less than $5000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wyatt Posted May 31, 2012 Members Share Posted May 31, 2012 This is the market to concentrate on. Something with an iPod dock and good DAC chips like the Wadia 151, but with a 6SN7, 6H30P, 7193 or 12AU7 based valve preamp and KT88 or 300B based power amp. Look at the designs of the McIntosh 275, Cary CAD 300, Cary CAD 120S, Jolida JD 801, Jolida JD300B and Leak TL/12. The McIntosh uses ECC83 or ECC81 pres, but has been an industry staple for 40 years. You do not want to target the Audiophile crowd, they are near impossible to please unless a noted audiophile approves and they turn their noses up at anything that costs less than $5000. The big hobbyist amps for audio right now are modded ST70 designs and the loose-form 1626 Darling, which runs dual SE power tubes. The 1626 Darling gets its name because it started as a way to use affordable NOS 1626 tubes, but then the success of the design drove up the price of the 1626, so now everyone adapts it to whatever power and driver tubes they have on hand. Either can be used without a preamp...many people swear by "Passive Preamps" (an oxymoron, I know) which are simple voltage divider circuits that use a pot for Volume (and often another for Balance), a rotary switch for inputs and a couple of resistors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spärk Posted May 31, 2012 Members Share Posted May 31, 2012 Interesting premise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Reauchambeau Posted May 31, 2012 Members Share Posted May 31, 2012 I have an old Dynaco PAS1 tube pre amp that I like, got it cheap. I've always wanted a Dynaco ST-70 amp to pair it with and my A25's. if you dig around you can find deals in vintage stuff, the new stuff is outrageously priced. I like the cool vintage hi-fi shops, sometimes you can get a deal.there's a guy with s hop a few blocks away from me that makes his own custom tube pre amps and power amps, they start around $2000.00. he also makes a tube unit that you can run you digital media through to warm it up. it takes an audiophiles ears to really appreciate the subtle differences in the high end gear, I can't be bothered, I'd rather play music than sit around listening at that level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted May 31, 2012 Members Share Posted May 31, 2012 I paid $300 for a reconditioned Fisher all tube stereo amp. It has 4 EL84 tubes and puts out maybe 20 watts per channel. I hook it up to my computer and it sounds great for music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wyatt Posted May 31, 2012 Members Share Posted May 31, 2012 I have an old Dynaco PAS1 tube pre amp that I like, got it cheap. I've always wanted a Dynaco ST-70 amp to pair it with and my A25's. if you dig around you can find deals in vintage stuff, the new stuff is outrageously priced. I like the cool vintage hi-fi shops, sometimes you can get a deal.there's a guy with s hop a few blocks away from me that makes his own custom tube pre amps and power amps, they start around $2000.00. he also makes a tube unit that you can run you digital media through to warm it up. it takes an audiophiles ears to really appreciate the subtle differences in the high end gear, I can't be bothered, I'd rather play music than sit around listening at that level. There was a PAS1?!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Reauchambeau Posted May 31, 2012 Members Share Posted May 31, 2012 ^ hmm, maybe I'm wrong about that, it might be a PAS2, made in 1960. it has 5 12AX7s, is handwired and sounds incredible. I have ss PAS4 as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarbilly74 Posted May 31, 2012 Members Share Posted May 31, 2012 I'm sorry but maybe I'm stupid, or just too gullible. But why the {censored} would someone want to listen through the {censored}ty quality mp3s on their iPod through a {censored}ing tube amp? PLEASE enlighten me before I have to leave for lunch or I won't be able to {censored}en eat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members emtoth Posted May 31, 2012 Members Share Posted May 31, 2012 It doesnt HAVE to be a {censored}ty mp3- the lossless formats are great.Why would anyone use a line 6 product with a tube amp?You can still get good results with both! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarbilly74 Posted May 31, 2012 Members Share Posted May 31, 2012 Why would anyone use a line 6 product with a tube amp? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members newholland Posted May 31, 2012 Members Share Posted May 31, 2012 I'm sorry but maybe I'm stupid, or just too gullible. But why the {censored} would someone want to listen through the {censored}ty quality mp3s on their iPod through a {censored}ing tube amp? PLEASE enlighten me before I have to leave for lunch or I won't be able to {censored}en eat. well.. 320kbps isn't super terrible for rock music-- and most things, honestly. it's not an LP, but if it's all you have.. sheeit.. may's well listen well if yer gonna listen. i dunno.. you could make an argument 'why rock a tube amp with a squier and stock pickups?'.. kinda similar. if you have a good amp, it'll still sound alright with a meh guitar-- but 'course, you'll get better results with good sources. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wyatt Posted May 31, 2012 Members Share Posted May 31, 2012 ^ hmm, maybe I'm wrong about that, it might be a PAS2, made in 1960. it has 5 12AX7s, is handwired and sounds incredible. I have ss PAS4 as well. 4x12AX7...two for phono, two for line amp. The other tube is the rectifier...12X4? 12X6? I forget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Elder Things Posted May 31, 2012 Members Share Posted May 31, 2012 I trouble shot a 1940s Arkay for a customer. It used two 6v6 power tubes. After a full cap job and lifting the original ridiculous heater scheme, it sounded outstanding. I can only describe the sound from the amp as being more lifelike. I felt as though some of my recordings sounded closer to live than through any of my other stereos. I would have no idea how to go about measuring % harmonic distortion sans an oscilloscope. Stereo tube amps seem to start around $200 on ebay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Reauchambeau Posted May 31, 2012 Members Share Posted May 31, 2012 4x12AX7...two for phono, two for line amp. The other tube is the rectifier...12X4? 12X6? I forget. Imma {censored}tin the bed with my poor knowledge. I only had it apart once, 5 tubes, I thought they were all 12AX7s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members paulintheuk Posted May 31, 2012 Members Share Posted May 31, 2012 I used to run an all valve Quad set-up (22 pre and Quad II monoblocks). Sounded beautiful and the matching tuner was a joy... But you need damn sensitive speakers to get a good volume from 8-9 watts a channel... And I didn't have room (or could afford) decent horns so they had to go. Miss them. Now I'd love an amp based around either 211s or 845s... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Reauchambeau Posted May 31, 2012 Members Share Posted May 31, 2012 I'm sorry but maybe I'm stupid, or just too gullible. But why the {censored} would someone want to listen through the {censored}ty quality mp3s on their iPod through a {censored}ing tube amp? PLEASE enlighten me before I have to leave for lunch or I won't be able to {censored}en eat. why would you play through a tube guitar amp then? your bands recording is going to be digital and listened to on {censored}ty quality MP3s etc. tube pre amps and power don't care what the format is, if anything you'd benefit playing digital media through tube gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Seattle Doug Posted June 3, 2012 Author Members Share Posted June 3, 2012 Hi guys - thanks for all the good input here as always. It's just a notion I am kicking around. I have a good source to build them so it seems like a good opportunity but also could be a spiraling black hole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.