Loneshark Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 I'm almost scared to ask this because of the religious following tubes have with Klipsch. I admit that I've never had the honor of hearing any Klipsch through any tube but as I move forward with my Forte II and now I'm looking at purchasing a pair of La Scala or Belles, I think now is the time to make a switch to 2 channel tube amplification rather than my solid state Yamaha 665. I'm prepared for an onslaught of opinions and cries of impurity... is there a reasonable middle ground between the 2k McIntosh amps I'm seeing and the Monoprice stereo tube? Quality is different I'm sure but what is an actual starting point for quality power and price? I'm hearing too many names with so much following, Scott, McIntosh, Dynaco, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Well, price is out. Getting the right sound depends on what you listen to, how loud, speaker distance to MLP, ect. I use both, tube and SS and will not hesitate to showcase either one. When going for tube amplification, select the topology, SET, PP, ect. The push pull will have more watts and some of the SET's are considered flea power with less than 8 watts. The topology is not as important as qualities of the amp. Great SET and PP amps exist. Most Klipsch speakers will get to a decent volume with only a watt or two. Pick something that appeals to you, consider tube cost and gol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Loanshark, where are you located? There may be forum members in your local area that will allow you to listen to their two channel tube systems. That might be a good starting point for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loneshark Posted February 23, 2017 Author Share Posted February 23, 2017 Derrick, I mean this as nicely as possible...you are speaking Chinese to me. I can't talk shop about tubes. I appreciate your input though and when I'm better educated I will review what you've given me. I'm in Jacksonville, Florida and very open to meeting people for Klipsch purposes. I'll bring the beer (or wine, or whatever they choose). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ69 Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 There are some really nice tube amps out there but like most things quality is going to cost you a little more. Tube amps are not cheap to produce, so a cheap one might be a disappointment. For a first try into tubes, I can only recommend a known brand product. Perhaps a Jolida Fusion 1102 or similar from a audio retailer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 Maybe see if you can strike a deal with seller on this hybrid. https://ocala.craigslist.org/ele/6004980625.html Bill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 Or these. https://jacksonville.craigslist.org/ele/6012667882.html Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube fanatic Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 16 hours ago, Loneshark said: I'm almost scared to ask this because of the religious following tubes have with Klipsch. I admit that I've never had the honor of hearing any Klipsch through any tube but as I move forward with my Forte II and now I'm looking at purchasing a pair of La Scala or Belles, I think now is the time to make a switch to 2 channel tube amplification rather than my solid state Yamaha 665. I'm prepared for an onslaught of opinions and cries of impurity... is there a reasonable middle ground between the 2k McIntosh amps I'm seeing and the Monoprice stereo tube? Quality is different I'm sure but what is an actual starting point for quality power and price? I'm hearing too many names with so much following, Scott, McIntosh, Dynaco, etc. The "Talkin' Tubes" section of the forum is exclusively devoted to answering questions like this. I strongly urge you to spend some time there reading through the threads, and then posting your question there along with your budget and a detailed description of your listening requirements (room size, listening level, distance from the speakers when listening, type of music, etc.). You don't have to spend anything approaching the cost of Mac equipment to attain phenomenal performance. Maynard 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustangerfourlife Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 Hello Loneshark I am glad you are in Jacksonville I am too.I do have a few pairs of Klipsch speakers and i have a Jolida 502a tube amp as well.I would be more then willing to let you come over and we can tinker with stuff.I am by no means a audiophile but i do like music and Klipsch.I have heard and tried lots of speakers and equipment thanks to the suggestions of people on these forums all with more knowledge then me.People here are helpful and let me know if you would like to meet up.I have had Quartets,Belles and Lascalas.I have some Hersey and Chorus ii and Klf 30 now and alot depends on the music you like to listen too.Hit me up would like find someone around here that likes and understands the whole audiophile chase to great sound...Plus it would be nice to know someone who possibly gets some new Forte iii...lol 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 Score!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roughlytraded Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 2 hours ago, mustangerfourlife said: Hello Loneshark I am glad you are in Jacksonville I am too.I do have a few pairs of Klipsch speakers and i have a Jolida 502a tube amp as well.I would be more then willing to let you come over and we can tinker with stuff.I am by no means a audiophile but i do like music and Klipsch.I have heard and tried lots of speakers and equipment thanks to the suggestions of people on these forums all with more knowledge then me.People here are helpful and let me know if you would like to meet up.I have had Quartets,Belles and Lascalas.I have some Hersey and Chorus ii and Klf 30 now and alot depends on the music you like to listen too.Hit me up would like find someone around here that likes and understands the whole audiophile chase to great sound...Plus it would be nice to know someone who possibly gets some new Forte iii...lol we need more people like you in new york lol. lucky! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eth2 Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 Of course you could get a wonderful tube amp at a reasonable price at Maynard's. Little Smoothie? Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost240 Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 Look up Dennis Had on eBay. Dennis is the founder of Cary Audio. He is building some really sweet tube amps in his retirement at a reasonable cost. I recently bought his Fire Bottle tube amp (12 watts) and matching preamp and ditched all of my Mac gear after and haven't looked back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loneshark Posted March 4, 2017 Author Share Posted March 4, 2017 On 2/24/2017 at 0:44 PM, mustangerfourlife said: Hello Loneshark I am glad you are in Jacksonville I am too.I do have a few pairs of Klipsch speakers and i have a Jolida 502a tube amp as well.I would be more then willing to let you come over and we can tinker with stuff.I am by no means a audiophile but i do like music and Klipsch.I have heard and tried lots of speakers and equipment thanks to the suggestions of people on these forums all with more knowledge then me.People here are helpful and let me know if you would like to meet up.I have had Quartets,Belles and Lascalas.I have some Hersey and Chorus ii and Klf 30 now and alot depends on the music you like to listen too.Hit me up would like find someone around here that likes and understands the whole audiophile chase to great sound...Plus it would be nice to know someone who possibly gets some new Forte iii...lol Hey there! Glad to hear I'm not alone in Jax. It sounds like we need to get together so when my schedule allows me to get a free weekend I will be in touch. I just recently picked up a pair of 83 Heresy so I'd love to A/B compare our sets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustangerfourlife Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Yeah sounds good...let me know when and we can go from there.Ill pm you my number. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshnich Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 In case you have not noticed, people on Internet forums occasionally recommend what they use as a solution to every newbie question. I would suggest you take some time and as suggested peruse the talkin tubes section and ground yourself before you head down one road or another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shiva Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 http://www.stereotimes.com/amp021607.shtml I too will share an integrated tube amp that I used to have, The Antique Sound Labs MG Si15dt. This new was about $1200 bucks when I was looking for one, though I bought it used for $500 on Audiogon and sold it 3 years later for $550. No complaints there. Some cool qualities of this amp and why it makes a good amp to look for, or something akin to it are: It is switchable between a 5 watt Triode and 15 watt pentode, so you can sample two designs in one amp. It is of course an integrated amp and you can connect 3 sources to it and actually has a sub out as well, if you want to incorporate a sub. a nice feature. It has a fairly cool wooden remote, so no getting up from the couch every time you want to change the volume, a huge plus in my book, cause I am not going to get it otherwise. I admit it, I need my remote. Tube amps can put out a decent amount of heat and this one, only having 2 power tubes, generates noticeably less heat than some others I have had. On a hot summer day, that is a good thing. Having only 2 power tubes, if you want to explore tube rolling or replacement, one need only buy 2 power or preamp tubes, which makes exploration more cost efficient and so more fun to do. On another note, Tube amps look cool glowing in the dark and are fun to explore music with. Enjoy the search. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 On 3/1/2017 at 9:46 AM, Lost240 said: Look up Dennis Had on eBay. Dennis is the founder of Cary Audio. He is building some really sweet tube amps in his retirement at a reasonable cost. I recently bought his Fire Bottle tube amp (12 watts) and matching preamp and ditched all of my Mac gear after and haven't looked back. There is no substitute for transparency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richieb Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 And I might add the more efficient, higher sensitivity speaker you choose i.e. LaScalla vs. your Forte the more critical the noise floor of the amp. The LS will quickly show this with its much larger mid-horn. If you buy new inquire if you have a return policy should it not fit well in your rig. Buying used, like Maynard said, and this applies new or used, do your due diligence. And don't kid yourself solid state can have noise problems also, this doesn't just apply for tubes. Best luck, Happy hunting -- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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