JohnW

Looks like I need to figure out the difference between SET, push-pull, and ultralinear. I thought ultralinear was a kind of push-pull, but hell, if SET is the way to true "tube sound," maybe I shoulda slowed down and tried that Reisong in the first place.

That makes sense. So ideally, you'd have an all-analog signal path? Vinyl or tape to a tube preamp into the amp? Running digital files through my Marantz, even in Pure Direct mode, really won't give me a true sense of "the tube sound?"

Well shit.

I hope I’ve chosen a good balance of all those qualities in the Jolida. It was open box, cost a hair over $1k. So, not cheap, but not ridiculous...actually comparable to a lot of restored ST70s, but purchased from a dealer, so it’s returnable. A reputable company that’s been in business for a while. Enough wattage for any situation plus a bit of headroom. Not a ton of reviews available, but all of them positive. but listening to my Parasound this morning...I’m wondering how good Cornwalls+tubes can sound, because this sounds REALLY good right now.

Yes, that Steve Gutenberg video was a huge influence a few days ago.

So the Reisong is your amp of choice?

This is all your fault, Shakey.

Damn you, Shakey! The Parasound sounds really nice. I could stop here. But all you guys telling me that Cornwalls really shine with tubes led me to just buy one of these, with 6550 tubes: https://www.jolida.com/product/fusion-3502-p Interested to see how much better it sounds than the Parasound. Damnit, it appears I'm on a quest.

Was planning to use the preouts from my Marantz SR7013.

That looks like a sweet amp. Hope I didn't go overboard. I bought one of these with the 6550 tubes: https://www.jolida.com/product/fusion-3502-p

Yeah, I don't know where this sudden bout of audiophilia came from. Last time was 2005...heard a friend's home theater and it sounded AMAZING. I had a Reference 3 system with a Harman/Kardon AVR 510, but that episode led to a Reference 7 7.2 system plugged into an Aragon Stage One/2007 Amp. Had to sell the separates to pay for our wedding (yes, it was worth it), replaced them with a Pioneer VSX-1120. Still have that system, as a 5.1, in my home office (speakers were too big and black for the family room). Then bam--a few months ago, I just started chasing this need for AMAZING sound in the family room. Got the Cornwalls, upgraded the caps, tried new tweeters, opted for new tweeter diaphragms, bought the SR7013 to replace the Onkyo TX-NR676 (now on garage duty--so I had to buy some RB-3s and an old Hsu STF-1 for out there), movies sounded great, but music wasn't AMAZING, and hell, I bought these Cornwalls so music would sound AMAZING, found a killer deal on the Parasound, and now it does sound amazing...but not quite AMAZING. Probably what's driving this is a combo of covid, politics, and losing a long-time close colleague at work to retirement. I think I needed control over something. Hopefully it ends when the Jolida starts playing...because the wife is a tolerant woman...but her tolerance does have limits.

Thanks. I spent a lot of time from age 6-11,with my ear pressed against those Magnavox console speakers, listening to anything from The Partridge Family to Kiss to Led Zeppelin. Not critical listening by any means...but very definitely formative listening.

I am. I thought about playing it safe with the Reisong A10--I can always send it back if it doesn't do anything for me, but given it's only 6 watts per channel, I could listen to Nora Jones all day, but when it comes to an action movie, I might be SOL. So I've been googling brands: Nobsound, BoyuRange, all Chinese, mostly great reviews, but quite a few reviews describing smoke, funny smells...hmmm... Then there were the Fishers and Scotts, and some old Magnavoxes that have been pulled from consoles...and their reputation is good...the stereo I started listening to was my parents' Magnavox console...perhaps that might stir something deep in my musical psyche...but it looks like this gear takes a bit of maintenance, and while I'm certain I could teach myself how to do it, I'm not inclined to. Then there's the whole curb appeal issue (I'm happily married). Went down the ST70 rabbit hole...that kept me up late in bed until the power died on my iPad last night. While I'm curious, it's a lot of money for used gear that always seems to have the original tubes. You know, from 1963. Now I've nothing against 1963, I'm from 1963 myself, but bits of me are wearing out and I know I don't sound as good as I used to, so... Then I looked at Jolida. Couple of them were available on OfferUp and FB Marketplace...like I said, I missed the boat on a JD302B on Ebay, and there's a Jolida 801a for $1000, but the ad is two years old and the guy who posted it isn't responding. Then I found an open box Fusion 3502P at Music Direct for a good price...it's the right color for my rack (black with blue leds), and of the few reviews I've been able to dig up on Jolida, it seems the gear is an incredible value. So I bought it. Hopefully it's the last amp I'll need for a while. I'm confident that the quality won't be questionable, and that it has more than enough power to meet my needs, so it really comes down how much I like listening to it. Which is what I was after in the first place: a good starting point in the world of tubes. 60 day money-back guarantee (shipping's on me if I'm not satisfied). So, all things considered (and there's a LOT) this seems like the best choice, and the only one worth making so far. https://www.musicdirect.com/power-amp/Jolida-Fusion-3502P-Power-Amplifier-6550-Black-OPEN-BOX

Yeah, ok.

nothing on Amazon.

And now the Dynaco ST-70? Whole bunch of them on Ebay....hmmm...

I wish I had a frame of reference for how loud these things can get. Lust object for the day: Jolida Fusion 3502p. A bit pricey though.

That's what I'm thinking. Missed the damned boat on that Jolida, I think.

Room size and characteristics: 14'x20'. Listening on the 14' axis. Vaulted ceiling--12' high at speakers, 8' high at listening position. Room has a large area rug and back wall is lined with plush furniture. Listening position is about 30" from back wall. Left side wall has sliding glass door with pleated curtains. RIght side opens to kitchen and rest of house. Listening level: 50-75 db, but every once in a while, you have to jam. I enjoy everything, from Dr. Dre to Diana Krall to Stan Getz to Rush to Leo Kottke to Allison Krauss to Johnny Cash to Mozart and Bach. Here's the ad for the amp: https://offerup.com/item/detail/937056339/

Did you ever happen to sell this?

Had a (very) little windfall and looking to dip my toe into tubes. Currently running a Marantz SR7013 into a Parasound 2250 v.2 into a pair of '84 Cornwalls with re-capped B3 crossovers. And it sounds good. Really good. I'm really happy with it. But...maybe it could sound...even better? (I think you know what I'm talking about) I'd be lying if I said I wasn't influenced by the recent hype over the Reisong A10. Which led me to look at the Nobsound 6P1 and the Monoprice Tube Amp...but only because of the hype, they're as cheap as you can get, and if I'm not happy, there's a return policy. But if I DO like what I hear, enough to replace the Parasound with a tube amp, I'm sure I'll upgrade. So why not skip that step? So I started poking around the used market. Almost pulled the trigger on a Jolida JD302B for $650 last night, but thought I'd sleep on it. Woke up this morning and it was sold. Found a guy this morning thirty miles away with a Decware SE84C Zen Triode for $350. The model with no volume knob. Just inputs and outputs. Does not have any tubes. Good price? Good amp? I'm sort of wandering in the dark here. Would appreciate any guidance. But this thread will document my foray into tubes.

So a good tube amp, or should I track down a DNA 1?

Well shit.

On the verge of purchasing a Parasound 2250 v.2 for my '84 B3 Cornwalls. I'm not looking for loundness, but more detail and distinct soundstage. But is this a mistake? I'd hate to trash them.

Problem solved. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000K50HJE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1