NOSValves

I'm watching you!

This amp was my own personal stereo VRD that someone talked me into selling to them... Trust Paul I don't believe anyone on the planet has tried more tubes in VRD's that included me. In the end you'll never go wrong with any "VINTAGE EURO Made" Mullard or Amperex in either the AX7 and AU7 slot.

👍 or the reverse.....well unless your a fan of distortion. These types of suggestions usual have an origin in guitar amp circles where distortion is king! Not at all advisable in the Hi Fi tube amp.

Yeah that looks special alright.... a brief peak gives me a chronic headache..

Christ I figured COVID took you out! Yeah I always have had trouble letting go LOL!!

Yeah someone around here was nice enough to send me a manual for a MC2000 these later year 4 or more tube per channel McIntosh amps have bias controls and test points. The vintage models I'm used to working on could have been modified to do the same but that would be a sin to any true McIntosh lover With these newer units only being around 20 years old I serious doubt many have needed repair McIntosh amps are really reliable even the vintage ones will keep working and working long after they should be for there own good!

Self bias takes care of tube drift? Please explain how it does that continoulsy?

Your first new amp? You must be getting forgetful in your old age

They may be great amps but the description of the Spirit V on that USA audio website makes me want to barf it's so full of BS..

Well pain before pleasure begs to differ LOL!!

Did McIntosh change something I'm not aware of in the later versions? McIntosh as never produced an amplifier that required manual biasing that I know of. They do not utilize a cathode resistor so they would be considered a fix bias amp. But the output design is very different then anything on the planet and is self balancing fixed bias to a degree. To me any amplifier that does not have the ability to test and adjust the bias is always off by some degree. Even those modern Primaluna jobs with the logic board controlling the bias. Nothing wrong with cathode biasing I think it has a really warm natural tone to it kind of rolls with the punches! With Push pull amps closely matched quad of output tubes are very much advisable.

I have to ask what are you mega watt SS guys doing posting in the Tube section 🤷‍♂️... Us tube guys all know you have long ago burned all the hairs out of your ears to know what sounds good

I use the DE-10 and have for a good many years its not a spring chicken either but it is most definitely very good HF driver for sure. I've never cared for the Beyma but I've never used it when I had the ability to attenuate it.

I'd imagine which would be better would depend on what your EQ'ing it with and how good it is theoretically if your able correct it making it flat throughout its range I'd say EQ should be better. But I've always found the simplest path to get the job done usually sounds the best to me.

Thanks! Better than it has been in a long time. I've had a pretty horrible couple years. long story....