The 'Best' Tube ampflication that you have experienced....and why?

[Marvel]

And Guys.....do you get it...........................................I could care less about the sofrware CRAP!!!!


If you care about the subject,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,please.......get, to it...............that is all I am asking.......I aint;'t 20 years old..............

I ain't play'in ..........around.......please ....I am looking for for your straight up answers..............I value them.....thanks......Dale.

We get it... you don't really want our help. It's pretty somple really. You make adjustments to your browser or profile, to make the formatting work.

You learn to do what needs to be done to make things work. That's what LIFE is all about when youcome to play in teh sandbox. (and stop dissin' my friend speakerfritz)

Have a nice day!

[mustang guy]

As I said in my many posts to all of you.............et al..............majorly goodnight..............you really.........except for the few in my other posts........you have NOTHING and subsequent to the conversation.............say hay to AMY......................bye................I will be looking in'...............Dale.

You read what they said and took it personally. Smile, you are amoung friends here. []

Oh, and by the way, I think the topic is a great one. I would love to know what amp is best also.

[Chris A]

Smile, you are among friends here.

I concur.

Oh, and by the way, I think the topic is a great one. I would love to know what amp is best also.

I've already seen at least one amp that I was not familiar with--from Speakerfritz and frankphess. If there are good tube amps out there, then I'd like to know about them.

Making someone angry is not very wise, IMHO. [A]

My $0.02...YMMV.

Chris

[Fjd]

Oh, and by the way, I think the topic is a great one. I would love to know what amp is best also.

Agreed! Since the word “best” is very subjective, maybe the following questions would help stimulate a meaningful discussion that many of us could benefit from?

What is your all-time favorite tube amplifier?

Why did you pick this tube amplifier as your favorite?

What do you consider the strong points of your favorite tube amplifier?

What do you consider the weak points of your favorite tube amplifier?

What tube amplifier do you “wish” you could try in your system?

As part of the ‘why,’ a person could potentially include a disclosure of the type of music predominately played and maybe the associated equipment (i.e. preamplifier and speakers?) in an effort to help understand certain synergies; however, even with the above questions, there are just so many variables to consider…..

Probably have to think about it as an audio version of the 'Myers-Briggs' test, since in audio, I've found that no 'one size fits all' and maybe in reality, there is really only 'one size fits a few'.[] Somewhat like applying personality type and cognitive style to audio?[^o)]

I suspect many would like to find a tube amp that can produce the ‘deep thumping and articulate’ bass of the VRDs, the ‘seductive and intoxicating midrange’ of a 300b amp and the ‘sparkly, shimmer and long decay’ of the high frequencies (i.e. those upper frequency sounds you hear from well-struck cymbals and bells) sometimes found in a 2A3 or 45,[8-|] but without tri-amping (and the correct "system-level trade-offs"), it probably just can’t happen….[]

[moray james]

Current production Allnic M6000 300B 50 watt mono blocks. Running a pait of Ambience 1800 hybrid ribbons. You can read the sluck at 6moons or you can make your own review. Special sounding amps forget the tubes used but they were good ones. Best regards Moray James.

http://www.allnicaudio.com/eng/products/view.htm?brandcode=0010020000000006&page=1

[nu2toobs]

Okay................once again.............I am 53 years old...........I am only 2 years into getting to the best possible configuration........Just wondering what you have found to be the best in tube ampflication...........in your experciences.......please//////////////// I don't care about software Guys..............Please, just give me your impressions about the subject..............thanks.

Well we have one thing in common, I'm 53 also.

To answer your amp question, my favorite sounding tube amps are the MC30 mono blocks. They have a smooth holographic sound that I love.

You may want to adjust your meds..........just a suggestion.

[Edgar]

Atma-Sphere M-60. Audio Society of Minnesota had a pair of Alon 4 speakers that I found unlistenable with any other amplifier. With the M-60 they were actually pleasant.

[Don Richard]

That would depend on what you are driving the amplifier with and what you are driving with the amplifier. I recently heard a set of mini monitors driven by Audio Research tube gear that sounded great. Maggies on the same amplifier didn't sound as good to me. An SET amp on either of those speakers would be a joke - they were both real power suckers.

[Colin]

I auditioned about a dozen tube and solid-state amplifiers on unmodified Cornwalls, LaScalas and Khorns in my living room for EnjoyTheMusic.com.

• There are always answers to questions. Sometimes though, the answer is I don’t know.

• Amplifiers CAN be considered in isolation from the speakers with which they are used. It is called a benchmark measurement. Current specs are merely a thumbnail reference, like saying a boat is a Proline 24 with a Merc 250 – it barely gives you an idea of the true handling characteristics. Tube amplifiers SHOULD be measured with a variety of popular speakers. All speakers should have their impedance charts on their backs. The results would be mouth opening.

•The best sounding amp with Khorns will be totally unacceptable with B &W 801s. The horns love the harmonic distortion of tubes and the B&Ws are impedance challenged; they require real horsepower to drive. (See Pass X250 review for EnjoyTheMusic)

• At the Arkansas Klipsch fest and my audio Meet up, we find groups of middle-age men like certain equipment for certain features, but that there is consensus on the best sounding equipment; it is often the outrageously expensive stuff. The really good stuff is often five, ten times the cost, but better in many respects than the next best performers.

• There is no need for custom amplifier when you are using stock speakers.

• My all-time favorite tube amplifier is still my Bottlehead 2A3 Paramours (EnjoyTheMusic review).

• I picked this tube amplifier as my favorite because it never fails to please me with its delicate nuances on my Big Ole Horns or my winged Audio-Technica ATH-A700 cans with their Gazoo’s hoops (reviewed).

• Strong points are their imaging, sweetness, and did I say this? Delicacy.

• Weak points of course are their very low power output and the inability to drive the 15” woofers of my classic Klipsch corner horns.
What tube amplifier do you “wish” you could try in your system?
OMG, so many!

• I heard NOSvalve’s VRDs briefly on Mike Lindsay’s modded LaScalas. They blew me away.

• Quads

• McIntosh

• Wellborne 2A3s

• Cary

• Nelson Pass’ First Watt

• Jonathon Valin in The Absolute Sound (September 09) gave a rave review to the $800 Odyssey Khartago Power Amplifier comparing it very favorably to much more expensive amplifiers.

• Art Audio

• Audio Research

I too find that in audio no 'one size fits all.' In particular, members of my local audio Meet up club have incredible systems. But often, they do not want to play them loud. Why? I think that the high volume reveals all the flaws; the system sounds horrible.

I am surprised that most tweaking audiophiles don’t combine the ‘sparkly, shimmer and long decay’ of 2A3 or 45 tubes with powerful solid-state mid and low bass woofers. But then, many of them don’t seem to get what makes horns and tubes sound so musical.

Personally, I would rather start with something that sounds so energetically musical - like horns do - and work backward to correct the honking, crossover hash, mid-bass punch and deep bass, than try to improve something seriously flawed from the inception – driving the huge surface area of cones so they sound as dynamic as music.

[davis419b]

And Guys.....do you get it...........................................I could care less about the sofrware CRAP!!!! If you care about the subject,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,please.......get, to it...............that is all I am asking.......I aint;'t 20 years old.............. I ain't play'in ..........around.......please ....I am looking for for your straight up answers..............I value them.....thanks......Dale.

I was going to tell you what I thought the best amp was until I read this post. I think now I will just keep it to myself as I dont want you to know ! []

[RRFL]

PX-25

Do you have any pics with the lights out. My favourite aspect of a valve amp is the valves and these valves are works of art. I have always wanted a valve amp but reliability was the issue that stopped me. I have not listened to any valves since the early 70's.

Use Google Chrome for your browser it works on all computers Mac, Apple, Linx and even PC's can use it. [A]

[moray james]

Electron Luv is for you. I have seen a good number of these amps over the years all different all amazing works of art. All are made to play with light sound and your mind. Best regards Moray James.

http://electronluv.com/

[Ski Bum]

Wow, the OP sure is grumpy.

While I try to keep it real as a general approach to things, I'm in Colin's camp. SET amps simply rule when it comes to my subjective enjoyment. I'm not sure if I like them in spite of their flaws or because of them (and I think I have a pretty solid handle on just what it is they do, thanks to Mark Deneen, Bob Carver, Erik2A3, Colin, Marvel, tubefanatic, and others who post here). Whatever the case may be they undeniably get me closer to the music. The fact that they are typically much less expensive than PP tubes is a bonus, and when used only for the horns as Colin suggested helps sidestep some of their shortcomings and magnify their strengths.

[Boxx]

And Guys.....do you get it...........................................I could care less about the sofrware CRAP!!!! If you care about the subject,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,please.......get, to it...............that is all I am asking.......I aint;'t 20 years old.............. I ain't play'in ..........around.......please ....I am looking for for your straight up answers..............I value them.....thanks......Dale.

I was going to tell you what I thought the best amp was until I read this post. I think now I will just keep it to myself as I dont want you to know !

Thanks... I needed a good laugh this morning....

[cubdog]

Be careful! He ain't playing around.

cubdog

[davis419b]

Be careful! He ain't playing around.

cubdog

Dale aint playing with little whinny girls either !

[RRFL]

Electron Luv is for you. I have seen a good number of these amps over the years all different all amazing works of art. All are made to play with light sound and your mind. Best regards Moray James.

http://electronluv.com/

Magnificent [ip]

Thank-you now I have new wallpaper on my computer screen, new valves for old valves,[]

[moray james]

While the pictures are wonderful they just do not do these amplifies justice. You really have to see them in person to appreciate just what works of art they are. If that was not enough they actually sound good on top of it all. Truly impressive work that puts the `Cool` in cool factor. Best regards Moray James.

[juniper8]

I have been looking at the art audio stuff since I started playing with this audio stuff, they my favorite looking amps I have seen, and now to here how good they sound..... went to audition some of their pieces in Clarence NY, but the the owner of the shop had the flu and I was leaving the next day. Very cool stuff

[DanO55]

OK I guess will jump in. The best I have ever heard is what I am listing to right now. I am running a set of Altec Valencias with an upgrade to the 908-8 horn driver. The signal comes from a Nakamichi CD2 player run through a set of Heathkit XO-1 tube crossovers. The crossover frequency is 1200hz. The split signals are sent to a pair of Heathkit W-5s, fully restored and upgraded, Gold Lion KT66s. The W-5s handle the frequency abouve 1200hz. The low signal is sent to a pair of Heathkit W-6s amplifiers that were rebuilt to better than new condition by NOS in 2009. I am running Gold Lion KT88s in them. The reason it is the best is the output transformers. The peerless transformers are consider by many, with graphs to back it up, as one of the best audio transformers ever made. There were only 1000 pair of these amps made. The bi-amplification using tube equipment make my current set up the best I have ever had. I have owned hundres of audio componets and have been in the elctronics field for over 35 yrs. Audio isn't a hobby to me. It's my passion. BTW I have La Scala, Cornwalls, Heresys, and several other Altec horn systems. Every thing is run with tube audio. I have at this moment over 17 amplifier, a few preamp (tubes), and too many other things to mention. So, thats my story and I am sticking to it. The W-6s are capable of hitting 140 watts without distortion. The W-5s, after mods, are one hella set of amps. I am at the top of my journey.