NOSValves Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 I know this is going to not go over well..but I have to say it. If you feel the need to be constantly rolling amplifiers something is wrong with your amp choices... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shiva Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 If you wish to try a new flavor of tube amp, I would recommend taking a look at a Rogue integrated for sale in the garage section. https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?/topic/162663-rogue-magnum-cronus-ii/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fjd Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 I have yet to hear a marantz 8b, which is why I'm hesitant to pay the premium price...all I know is that I love my scott 340a with my belles and that makes me want to check out other flavors of tube gear Using the Marantz for the pre-amp would work but be a huge bottleneck...the 8b deserves better. Thank you for allowing me to restore your 340A those sweet receivers! I know this is going to not go over well..but I have to say it. If you feel the need to be constantly rolling amplifiers something is wrong with your amp choices... I believe that your assertion may be just a touch too general for a public forum where it will mean 100 different things to 100 different readers. For example, hcnelly said he loves the Scott 340a (and the Scott has even been restored too) with his Belles; however, now it seems that something may actually be wrong with that choice of the Scott 340A because he wants to try out other amplifiers? . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fjd Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 Nothing wrong with my amp choices. Too old to chase women now. It would appear that choice and acquisition has always been a part of being male ego, nothing new. However, the approach may change; think about the proverb of the young bull and the old bull. The old bull and the young bull were standing at the top of the hill overlooking a pasture of many gorgeous young heifers. The young bull said, "Let's charge down the hill, knock over that fence and get one of those heifers each". The old bull wisely replied, "Why don't we saunter down the hill, open the gate, take a sip at the water trough and then get ALL of those heifers?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shiva Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 not quite the best telling of that story. 2 bulls were siting on a hill, overlooking a pasture of cows, when one turns to the other and says, "Hey Pop, what do you say, we run down their and screw one of those cows." The other, slowly turns and says "No Son, we'll walk down and screw them all." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 (edited) not quite the best telling of that story. 2 bulls were siting on a hill, overlooking a pasture of cows, when one turns to the other and says, "Hey Pop, what do you say, we run down their and screw one of those cows." The other, slowly turns and says "No Son, we'll walk down and screw them all." Yup...much better good old Robert Duvall line from that western with Kevin Costner...or was it lonesome dove? I knew if I stated my opinion on owning and flipping through a half dozens amps I'd end up in this BS...I just never learn about you thin skinned types...I've tried and listened to more amplifiers and gear in general over that 20 years then most anyone.. I found my sweat spot long ago... I'm to old to chase women also..learned last no ago they run faster then me! Edited March 13, 2016 by NOSValves Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shiva Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 (edited) not quite the best telling of that story. 2 bulls were siting on a hill, overlooking a pasture of cows, when one turns to the other and says, "Hey Pop, what do you say, we run down their and screw one of those cows." The other, slowly turns and says "No Son, we'll walk down and screw them all." Yup...much better good old Robert Duvall line from that western with Kevin Costner...or was it lonesome dove?I knew if I stated my opinion on owning and flipping through a half dozens amps I'd end up in this BS...I just never learn about you thin skinned types...I've tried and listened to more amplifiers and gear in general over that 20 years then most anyone.. I found my sweat spot long ago... I'm to old to chase women also..learned last no ago they run faster then me! Close, that telling came from the movie "Colors" with Robert Duvall as he said it to Sean Penn. If anyone is interested in a tube hybrid amp with some serious power. http://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649260273-rogue-audio-pharoah-integrated-flawless-free-shipping/ Edited March 13, 2016 by shiva Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 Nothing wrong with my amp choices. Too old to chase women now. The old say if you just eat red jelly beans all the time you will want to try a purple one one day. If I had never heard the M2 I would have not known what I was missing. The other 3 Firstwatt amplifiers did sound fantastic. If you just trust someones opinion and buy one amp you're missing out. Designers such as Nelson Pass are not sitting on their laurels but are constantly churning out new and fantastic improvements. There is no such thing as a perfect amplifier for all. There is new ground to break in amplifier design. What?!? There is a maximum age for chasing women? Did you ever stop to think the women you are chasing are just too damn fast? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fjd Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 not quite the best telling of that story. 2 bulls were siting on a hill, overlooking a pasture of cows, when one turns to the other and says, "Hey Pop, what do you say, we run down their and screw one of those cows." The other, slowly turns and says "No Son, we'll walk down and screw them all." Yup...much better good old Robert Duvall line from that western with Kevin Costner...or was it lonesome dove?I knew if I stated my opinion on owning and flipping through a half dozens amps I'd end up in this BS...I just never learn about you thin skinned types...I've tried and listened to more amplifiers and gear in general over that 20 years then most anyone.. I found my sweat spot long ago... I'm to old to chase women also..learned last no ago they run faster then me! Close, that telling came from the movie "Colors" with Robert Duvall as he said it to Sean Penn. If anyone is interested in a tube hybrid amp with some serious power. http://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649260273-rogue-audio-pharoah-integrated-flawless-free-shipping/ Actually, you missed a word in your quote, but I understand why. In addition, it seems that in the context of a "father/son" relationship today, the son would need to try and have the last word such as; ".... but dad, if we walk down the hill, all of the cows will be gone when we get there." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G_wH0jBAgU Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hcnelly Posted March 13, 2016 Author Share Posted March 13, 2016 Hey guys, I absolutely love my scott 340a and it will always be in my main setup...i also have a Scott 299c restored by craig that I use on my klipsch fortes...i like to swap that with my marantz 2275 just for fun and a different sound with solid state...i essentially have restored vintage gear and I love every bit of it and am totally satisfied.... I guess I like to try different things, and I'm still new to tubes...yes, I feel that the marantz 8b is going to be too much money for me in the long run, especially if I pay what most sellers are asking, and getting a restoration done and finding a preamp....i like the idea of finding something integrated, rather than seperates, because I'm running out of room in my audio room I'm just curious what people think is comparable to the marantz 8b, whether old or new...maybe I can start looking at some of the newer tube gear...i guess i just love that vintage look Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 not quite the best telling of that story. 2 bulls were siting on a hill, overlooking a pasture of cows, when one turns to the other and says, "Hey Pop, what do you say, we run down their and screw one of those cows." The other, slowly turns and says "No Son, we'll walk down and screw them all." Yup...much better good old Robert Duvall line from that western with Kevin Costner...or was it lonesome dove?I knew if I stated my opinion on owning and flipping through a half dozens amps I'd end up in this BS...I just never learn about you thin skinned types...I've tried and listened to more amplifiers and gear in general over that 20 years then most anyone.. I found my sweat spot long ago... I'm to old to chase women also..learned last no ago they run faster then me! Close, that telling came from the movie "Colors" with Robert Duvall as he said it to Sean Penn. If anyone is interested in a tube hybrid amp with some serious power. http://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649260273-rogue-audio-pharoah-integrated-flawless-free-shipping/ Yup that was it I was racking my brain trying to remember what movie it was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hcnelly Posted March 13, 2016 Author Share Posted March 13, 2016 Maybe I could look at something that uses el34 tubes or kt88...i just don't have the opportunity to listen to a bunch of different amps and receivers where I live, so I'm stuck having to read about everything in forums...there's little said about the newer tube amps, and a lot about vintage...that's what peaked my curiosity on the marantz... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fjd Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 (edited) Maybe I could look at something that uses el34 tubes or kt88...i just don't have the opportunity to listen to a bunch of different amps and receivers where I live, so I'm stuck having to read about everything in forums...there's little said about the newer tube amps, and a lot about vintage...that's what peaked my curiosity on the marantz... Not sure of your budget, but it sure wouldn’t hurt to “look” for a Marantz 8b for the next two or three months to see what comes up. Here are a couple of amplifiers that can be restored with somewhat less harmonic distortion profile and lower noise floor that should fall on the side of superb midrange with overall more relaxed sound quality where I view the Marantz (not to be confused with it would sound exactly like the Marantz) vs. the more “syrupy” and “blooming” midrange of some of the older vintage gear. If you are going to have Craig work on it similar to your Scott, you may want to consider a Dynaco ST-70 (sold over 300,000 during its lifespan) or the Dynaco MKIII mono blocks, then see if Craig still does his circuit modifications for the Dynacos and if he still installs the switch to select either triode or ultra-linear; or if he would install the Shannon Parks circuit boards. With a little patience, fairly inexpensive examples of the Dynaco amplifiers can be found. When I was watching for the MKIII’s a few years ago they were selling anywhere in the $300 - $700 range for very nice cosmetic examples. My brother now has my pair of the Dynaco MKIII’s with the Shannon Parks Poseidon boards and an upgraded power supply and to me, the Dynacos with the modifications are a very nice match with Klipsch speakers. The other amplifier that I think is a real “sleeper” and can sound really good when brought up to date is the Harman Kardon Citation V tube amplifier, although it seems like the price on those is starting to creep up. Edited March 13, 2016 by Fjd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zim. Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 On 3/13/2016 at 12:30 PM, hcnelly said: x 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juniper Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 May want to look into a Pilot sa-260, lots of talk on the web that it sounds as good or better than the 8b and the prices are way down right now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthews Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 (edited) http://www.toolshedamps.com/ Talk to Matt at toolshedamps. Beautiful work using quality parts and reasonable prices. He is also a forum member with great customer satisfaction. If I were not a diyer I would definitely consider one of his tube builds. There are fellow members that have purchased his amps. Indeed, Tool Shed Amps are truly works of art and sound. Highly recommended Genesis 6 and Exodus Linestage One happy customer I am! Matt ♪ ♫ ♪ (not to be confused with TSA Matt, just coincidence) Edited March 13, 2016 by Matthews 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 Maybe I could look at something that uses el34 tubes or kt88...i just don't have the opportunity to listen to a bunch of different amps and receivers where I live, so I'm stuck having to read about everything in forums...there's little said about the newer tube amps, and a lot about vintage...that's what peaked my curiosity on the marantz... Not sure of your budget, but it sure wouldn’t hurt to “look” for a Marantz 8b for the next two or three months to see what comes up. Here are a couple of amplifiers that can be restored with somewhat less harmonic distortion profile and lower noise floor that should fall on the side of superb midrange with overall more relaxed sound quality where I view the Marantz (not to be confused with it would sound exactly like the Marantz) vs. the more “syrupy” and “blooming” midrange of some of the older vintage gear. If you are going to have Craig work on it similar to your Scott, you may want to consider a Dynaco ST-70 (sold over 300,000 during its lifespan) or the Dynaco MKIII mono blocks, then see if Craig still does his circuit modifications for the Dynacos and if he still installs the switch to select either triode or ultra-linear; or if he would install the Shannon Parks circuit boards. With a little patience, fairly inexpensive examples of the Dynaco amplifiers can be found. When I was watching for the MKIII’s a few years ago they were selling anywhere in the $300 - $700 range for very nice cosmetic examples. My brother now has my pair of the Dynaco MKIII’s with the Shannon Parks Poseidon boards and an upgraded power supply and to me, the Dynacos with the modifications are a very nice match with Klipsch speakers. The other amplifier that I think is a real “sleeper” and can sound really good when brought up to date is the Harman Kardon Citation V tube amplifier, although it seems like the price on those is starting to creep up. Good advice but cost of a nice cosmetic set of Mark III is getting up there these days. I have a nice condition ST70 I need to do something with. I prefer Shannon Parks circuit boards when using circuit boards but I get all those exposed parts and voltages off the top of the chassis by point to point wiring the ST70 and Mark III. It's been a long time since I used a circuit board in anything... I also have chassis and good iron to build brand new Mark III's.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 I may be one of the few people here who really like the sound of vintage amps and the 8b is a great one! I have enjoyed my EL34 PP Dynaco MkIV amps greatly and my current main amp which is a 2A3 PP amp (not vintage, built for me) but I still plan to get an 8b some day. I have heard them (and pair of model 9s!) in a friends system and loved them (the 9s were great too!). but so far I havent found the right one at the right price, I will have them worked over (caps, etc.) before putting them into "production" becuase vintage amps do tend to blow up on you if you are not careful. Warm regards, Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 my current main amp which is a 2A3 PP amp I still drool over that, but not as much since I got my Moondogs. Bruce 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 my current main amp which is a 2A3 PP ampI still drool over that, but not as much since I got my Moondogs. Bruce Thanks Bruce, I still love them and they will probably always live in my main listening system! the 8b would be for my family room system to replace the dynaco mkIVs. Moondogs are not too shabby my friend! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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