New member, tube advice

[keithfox81]

Hi everyone, new member 1st post. Not sure if this is the right thread, but here goes. Im newish to buying audio equipment, and have 0 knowledge on fixing/working on it. 1st real system I bought was a sansui 9090, lenco l70, acoustic research ar 3a. Sounded good, but wasnt completely satisfied. So I post a wanted ad on my local craigslist for klipsch La Scala, boy was I blown away. 1989/90 AL-3. I knew before I got these I was eventually going to go with a tube amp, tube pre combo. Im looking to get my system set just how I want it, and thatll be the end of it. So the La Scala take care of the speaker part, pretty pleased with the lenco, although I will upgrade the cart. In the future, 2-3 months, Im hoping to have the money to buy the amp and pre. At 1st I was thinking a mac mc30 pair or mc240 and mx 110, but after researching Im now leaning towards used NOS Valves VRD monoblocks and the NBS preamp. So my question is, is this a good idea? I know it depends on the listener, but Id most likely be going on blind faith since these things dont pop up locally to often. I dont plan on selling in the future, or care about collectors aspect. This will be my main system for many years I hope. Im open to other suggestions as well, in the 4000 total range. Ive only been looking for a couple months, but havent seen any VRD come up for sale. Am I in for a long wait? Should I move on to something else? Do these come up in my price range? Will stand up and work with minimal knowledge? Should I consider the mc30? Thanks, and I hope to hear some responses. Take it easy on me, like I said, dont know much technical talk. THANKS AGAIN!!!!

[derrickdj1]

I am not the one to give you a list of amps to consider.  I do caution people considering buying old amps.  First, there is nothing wrong with that but, they may need extensive work to get them back or better than their original specs.  Also, parts are a problem and there is no warranty.  I mention this because you said you are not into fixing things.

 

Look at the  forum members signatures to see what type of amps they are using and then a quick google search of some that you are interested in.  You don't have to spend a fortune on the amp and also, the amount spent does not alway equate to a good sound quality.  There are some amp builders on the forum that make a good product and stand behind them.

[tube fanatic]

Indeed, you will find lots of good information on here regarding using LSs with tube amps.  The big question is why you believe you need high power?  If you search back in this section you will find some very detailed discussions about just how little power LSs need to provide huge listening levels.  If you provide a description of your room, the distance from the speakers at which you listen, the types of music you enjoy, the type of sound you prefer (very bright and punchy vs. smooth and detailed, etc.) and how loudly you listen (if, by chance, you have a way to measure the sound pressure level that would be great), an estimate of how much power you need can be generated.  Certainly, you don't need to spend anything approaching $4k to achieve outstanding audio quality.  Also, there's no reason to go with a separate amp/preamp combo as there are many integrated amps which are excellent. 

 

Where are you located?  There may be forum members nearby who can bring over various tube amps for you to audition in your system which is the only way to truly determine what will satisfy you. 

 

Maynard

[TubeHiFiNut]

I have driven my La Scalas with a wide variety of tube amps. My favorite La Scala amp is the CazTech SE-845 (Single Ended Triode, 845 tube, 18 watts).

 

The Almarro A250a (Single Ended Pentode, EL-84 tube, 4watts), Quicksilver Monos (Push-Pull, originally 8417 tubes modified by Mike Sanders to run EL-34, ~40 watts), Dynaco ST-70 and ST-35, Heathkit UA-2, Marantz 8B and McIntosh MC-30 amps all sound beautiful too.

 

In my opinion, you do not need high power to drive the La Scala. The La Scala really shines with high quality, low to medium powered tube amps.

Edited November 16, 2016 by TubeHiFiNut

[DaMuffinMan]

Maynard, when you say" Also, there's no reason to go with a separate amp/preamp combo as there are many integrated amps which are excellent.  " can you elaborate on what specific amp{s} is/are "integrated"?

thanks

[tube fanatic]

8 hours ago, DaMuffinMan said:

Maynard, when you say" Also, there's no reason to go with a separate amp/preamp combo as there are many integrated amps which are excellent.  " can you elaborate on what specific amp{s} is/are "integrated"?

thanks

As you know an integrated amp can be directly driven by the source (usually high level like a CD player) and usually requires an external phono preamp if you want to spin vinyl.  Before any recommendations can be made a budget has to be established as there are many dozens of possibilities.  Also, do you want one made in the US, or is a Chinese amp an option?  If you have a specific price point in mind I, and lots of others, can give you specific recommendations.

 

Maynard 

[DaMuffinMan]

2 hours ago, tube fanatic said:

As you know an integrated amp can be directly driven by the source (usually high level like a CD player) and usually requires an external phono preamp if you want to spin vinyl.  Before any recommendations can be made a budget has to be established as there are many dozens of possibilities.  Also, do you want one made in the US, or is a Chinese amp an option?  If you have a specific price point in mind I, and lots of others, can give you specific recommendations.

 

Maynard 

OK I guess I should have been more specific (please remember I know very little about tubes) when you say "integrated amp" you are referring to Preamplifiers and Amplifiers all in one unit, is that correct?

 

And if I am reading correctly you can get/make a tube amp that is "integrated" is that also correct? And do they say they are integrated?

 

I totally agree the less electronics ie, pr-amps in the mix the less chance to mess with the sound.

[tube fanatic]

Any amplifier which has a volume control is an integrated amp.  Power amps typically do not have any way of adjusting input level, although some vintage power amps do.  In the latter case, many can be used as integrated amps if their sensitivity is sufficiently high.

 

Maynard

[derrickdj1]

Here is a pic of a simple integrated amp.  The knob on the left is for volume and the one on the right is for selecting a source.  This particular amp is an ultra linear pentode/triode.

 

[keithfox81]

Hi!! Great replies, THANKS! I was looking into higher wattage because I also have a set of Ar 3a's that I would prob pull out every so often. Those need a little bit of power to sound good ive found. But I could just keep them hooked up to the sansui 9090 also. My listening room is prob 20ft by 16ft. Im mainly vinyl, some CDs. Prob 70 percent of the time vinyl, 30 percent cds. As far as volume goes, I do like to  get loud when its possible and nobody else is around, which isnt to often. But a couple times a week Im able to be as loud as I want. When listening I usually play 50s-70s classic rock, thats my main thing. I hope this helps? I see a lot of recommendations listed that I will def look into. Im not set on anything in particular and have a few months to figure it out. Thanks for all the help, and keep pointing me in the right direction of your personal favorite for them. The LS sound unbelievable, I really cant believe it. Thanks again

[derrickdj1]

The above amp is 40 watts  but, can do up to around 80 watts.  This does not sound like a lot but, it is as loud as my 200 watt Acurus amp on the RF 7 II's for as loud as I listen.  I have even forgot to switch to the SS amp for movies and did not notice til the movie was over.  This is with the system and -5 to -7 from reference.  the room is around 4500 cu ft. and I am back 20 ft. from the mains.

[muel]

On 11/15/2016 at 3:22 PM, keithfox81 said:

Hi everyone, new member 1st post. Not sure if this is the right thread, but here goes. Im newish to buying audio equipment, and have 0 knowledge on fixing/working on it. 1st real system I bought was a sansui 9090, lenco l70, acoustic research ar 3a. Sounded good, but wasnt completely satisfied. So I post a wanted ad on my local craigslist for klipsch La Scala, boy was I blown away. 1989/90 AL-3. I knew before I got these I was eventually going to go with a tube amp, tube pre combo. Im looking to get my system set just how I want it, and thatll be the end of it. So the La Scala take care of the speaker part, pretty pleased with the lenco, although I will upgrade the cart. In the future, 2-3 months, Im hoping to have the money to buy the amp and pre. At 1st I was thinking a mac mc30 pair or mc240 and mx 110, but after researching Im now leaning towards used NOS Valves VRD monoblocks and the NBS preamp. So my question is, is this a good idea? I know it depends on the listener, but Id most likely be going on blind faith since these things dont pop up locally to often. I dont plan on selling in the future, or care about collectors aspect. This will be my main system for many years I hope. Im open to other suggestions as well, in the 4000 total range. Ive only been looking for a couple months, but havent seen any VRD come up for sale. Am I in for a long wait? Should I move on to something else? Do these come up in my price range? Will stand up and work with minimal knowledge? Should I consider the mc30? Thanks, and I hope to hear some responses. Take it easy on me, like I said, dont know much technical talk. THANKS AGAIN!!!!

 

Well, choosing VRD's and the NBS is going right to the finish line in my opinion... it's an excellent choice!  Craig (NOS Valves) uses his mono block VRD's with La Scalas.  So do I.   I also have the stereo version with some Heresy's.   There were some for sale here just a few months ago that were very nice.  I imagine some will show up here again.   Your budget isn't far off from new.  You could always get the mono blocks and use a passive preamp until a NBS comes up or Craig decides to start building them again.  I don't know what his status is with new builds.  

 

There is a bit of instruction needed for setting correct bias for tubes as well as being careful around those voltages.  It's pretty simple really.  Once the bias is dialed in on mine it stays rock steady for a long time.  

 

Good luck on your search!