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Quicksilver Audio Tube Amps


Khorn4

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I currently have a pair of Klipschorns speakers connected to a Marantz PM8004 integrated amp. I have been wanting to switch over to a tube amp. I was given a recommendation of

The Quick Silver Audio Horn Mono amp. I don't know much about tube amps and was wondering if anyone has experience with this amp. I have a budget of around $2,500 for an amp

and space is my big problem. Please don't beat me up too bad I have a lot to learn. Thanks for your help! 

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Thank you for your response, much appreciated. alzinski I have a vintage Carver C-4000T pre-amp I could use until I can save up for a tube pre-amp. I could also

use the Marantz PM 8004 pre-amp out. The Carver has a voltage gain on it. Schu the VRD's are no longer for sale ugg! wish I could of scene those earlier.

We will continue looking at tube amps, see what I can find.  Thanks!

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You probably need far less power than you may imagine and should be able to spend far less than your budgeted amount to achieve truly excellent sound.  Since you are in California, I recommend getting hold of Justin Weber:

 

http://ampsandsound.com/

 

But, if you decide to go with something in the Dynaclone area, Bob Latino offers excellent value in my opinion:

 

http://www.tubes4hifi.com/

 

And, there's also Decware which offers many options which should work very well with K-horns (you certainly can't beat their lifetime warranty!):

 

http://www.decware.com/newsite/homepage.html

 

All of the above can set you up with amps which can be directly driven by a high level source like a CD player or DAC.  That way, you don't need to spend any of your budget on a preamp.

 

 

Maynard

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On 8/1/2017 at 2:10 PM, Khorn4 said:

I currently have a pair of Klipschorns speakers connected to a Marantz PM8004 integrated amp. I have been wanting to switch over to a tube amp. I was given a recommendation of

The Quick Silver Audio Horn Mono amp. I don't know much about tube amps and was wondering if anyone has experience with this amp. I have a budget of around $2,500 for an amp

and space is my big problem. Please don't beat me up too bad I have a lot to learn. Thanks for your help! 

I think tarheel  does...

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I had H Monos - twice. Nice amps, quiet as promised. But as in any case only as quiet as the associated preamp. Now 

this is my opinion only but I have found with nearly every push/pull or Ultralinear tube design I have owned and it has been several, I found no advantage for tubes vs. a very high quality SS amp. Which is why I owned the Monos twice and another 

tube amp spoken around these parts, twice. But please - my opinion only - 

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49 minutes ago, dirtmudd said:

I think tarheel  does...

Yep I do and have had for 8 or 9 years.  I use the horn monos with a Quicksilver Full Function preamp. 

They are reliable and the good thing about the monos is they are self biasing.  This means you can roll power tubes from the EL-34s, 6550s, KT-77s, KT-88s, KT-66s and more.  I have no complaints but other than integrated tube amps and receivers that is all of my experience with tubes.

As Alzinski stated the monos produce little gain which is part of the design.  Highly efficient speakers, like Khorns, reveal any hiss from high gain amps.  The monos are dead quiet at idle.

Mike Sanders of QS Audio designed a pair for himself and friends after hearing them kept asking for a pair. 

Their price is very competitive too.

 

Good luck with your search.

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32 minutes ago, richieb said:

I had H Monos - twice. Nice amps, quiet as promised. But as in any case only as quiet as the associated preamp. Now 

this is my opinion only but I have found with nearly every push/pull or Ultralinear tube design I have owned and it has been several, I found no advantage for tubes vs. a very high quality SS amp. Which is why I owned the Monos twice and another 

tube amp spoken around these parts, twice. But please - my opinion only - 

I can agree with this post.  I have heard Heritage speakers with SS and tubes and can say both are excellent depending on the amp and source.  Let's say they are equal as in my case.  The glowing light, adjusting the bias and feeling of yesteryear is an experience in itself.  I allI know  is that I like clean unmolested sound.  I am most likely a product of most of my audio evolution which is right for me, and not meant for all taste.  I use an ultralinear amp and have to SS sources, Class D and Class.

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47 minutes ago, dirtmudd said:

I think tarheel  does...

Yep I do and have had for 8 or 9 years.  I use the horn monos with a Quicksilver Full Function preamp.  They're reliable and the good thing about the monos is they are self biasing.  This means you can roll power tubes from the EL-34s, 6550s, KT-77s, KT-88s, KT-66s and more. 

As Alzinski stated the monos produce little gain which is part of the design.  Highly efficient speakers  often hiss with high gain.  The QS Monos are dead quiet at idle.

The monos are a bargain.  Go the Quicksilver Audio site and read the reviews.

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7 minutes ago, Tarheel said:

Yep I do and have had for 8 or 9 years.  I use the horn monos with a Quicksilver Full Function preamp.  They're reliable and the good thing about the monos is they are self biasing.  This means you can roll power tubes from the EL-34s, 6550s, KT-77s, KT-88s, KT-66s and more. 

As Alzinski stated the monos produce little gain which is part of the design.  Highly efficient speakers  often hiss with high gain.  The QS Monos are dead quiet at idle.

The monos are a bargain.  Go the Quicksilver Audio site and read the reviews.

tarheel  just stuttered....

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On 8/2/2017 at 5:33 PM, Tarheel said:

Yep I do and have had for 8 or 9 years.  I use the horn monos with a Quicksilver Full Function preamp.  They're reliable and the good thing about the monos is they are self biasing.  This means you can roll power tubes from the EL-34s, 6550s, KT-77s, KT-88s, KT-66s and more. 

As Alzinski stated the monos produce little gain which is part of the design.  Highly efficient speakers  often hiss with high gain.  The QS Monos are dead quiet at idle.

The monos are a bargain.  Go the Quicksilver Audio site and read the reviews.

 

Agreed. In my opinion, the Quicksilver Horn Monos are well designed and great sounding amps that match up nicely with high efficiency speakers like Klipsch.

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On 8/1/2017 at 9:08 PM, alzinski said:

You currently have an integrated amp. I assume you do not already have a preamplifier? The Horn monos have very little gain and require a 6v input to reach rated output power. i.e. You are going to need a preamp with voltage gain to drive them.

Although Marantz gives a rather cryptic 1.2v spec for their pre-outs, the OP's Marantz might swing considerably more.  One that was bench tested by Audioholics could swing 7v unclipped from it's pre-outs, although I don't recall which model it was.  Another they tested could do over 4v unclipped.  OP's Marantz may actually be juicy enough to drive Quicksilvers to full output.

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Yesterday saw me take delivery of my new Musical Paradise MP-301 MK3 Deluxe, a 6.5 Wpc fixed bias amp with 6L6G/EL34 family output and 6J8P (6HS7/6JS7) preamp tubes. First class components are used and it looks like a quality product. I replaced my office SS amp yesterday - an Emotiva A-100 BasX 50Wpc (8 Ohm  < .05% THD & 110 dB SNR - decent amp!)-  which drove my '77 vintage Heresys, being fed by an Onkyo C-7030 CDP. The A-100 has a volume control and it runs about the same setting as the MP amp (~9-10 o'clock for as loud as I like it!). I loved that SS amp - it is extremely quiet and makes a great headphone amp - but so is/does the new tube amp. In fact, I bought it with the standard tubes - and there is no noise or hum with the volume at max from the Heresys or my Koss Pro-4AA 'phones - unreal! The K'horns are considerably more efficient than my Heresys, permitting those 6.5W's to easily fill a room twice the size of my office, which is 11.5' x 12' x 9'. The beauty is the price -  $339 + $60 airmail from the PRC. I added $30 for a spare matched pair of EL34's and got my shipment in 9 days. That amp has a following, too - apparently a "tube-rollers delight". It might be a way to frugally try a tube amp with your K'horns. Compared with the USA-made Decware Zen Triode amp it's a bargain.

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  • 3 months later...

Quicksilver amps are a huge bang for the buck..... I have a pair of Mid Monos and they are great amps.....  I LOVE THEM ...Mike Sanders is very knowledgeable and awesome to deal with.  I went 180 degrees from what I'm currently using and ordered a pair of Heresys..... I love my Revel monitors but they just dont have the sense of scale that makes for a lifelike presentation.   Plus the Heresys sealed box was appealling because every rear ported speaker I've had in this room suffered due to their distance from the wall.  Always bloated sounding.    I auditioned the Heresys more out of curiosity and found that they really sounded good.  Especially with a good sub.    Can't wait to get them,  they kick *** for their size.   

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