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89' LaScalas/Proper Tube Amp


Tony T

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At 57 years old I finally landed a pair of decent LaScalas. I'm not of age where I'm unfamiliar with the old tube amps but, I do not know what the best pairing application would be in modern day. Needless to say the "skies the limit" when it comes to a tube amp approach. Looking for something affordable without compromising quality. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for ... or do you?

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2 hours ago, Tony T said:

Looking for something affordable without compromising quality.

Welcome :)

Just finished an "affordable" tube amp kit - Bob Latino's VTA ST70, which basically is a modern version of the Dynaco ST70. ( See http://www.tubes4hifi.com/home.html ). Cost is about $900 or $1200 with all available upgrades and per reviews as good as $2000-$4000 amps. Probably took me 20 hours (and many bottles of wine). Sound is supposed to be exceptional ( no clue yet; just finished the kit and it's hooked up to cheap bookshelf speakers for testing :) ). Bob's support is EXCEPTIONAL - made a stupid wiring error which he promptly corrected via email. If you want to spend more, he's also got an ST120 and monoblock amps. All are available as kits or as "finished" units.

Cheers, Emile

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Welcome to the party!

 

It can partly depend on how big your room is and how loud you want to listen, kinds of music, etc.

 

With my '89s, I used low power 2a3 SET amps, approx 3.5 watts each. In a 13x22 ft room they could get louder than I could tolerate. More powerful amps are fine, but not necessarily needed, but they need to be able to sound good at low output. My music ranges from classical/ symphonis, James Taylor, Norah Jones, Bela Fleck, celtic.celtic rock, Yes, Moody Blues, you name it.

 

Bruce

 

Forgot to say, LS are extremely revealing. For me, good recordings made me forget there were speakers in the room.

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The forum has a section which contains an enormous amount of information which will assist you in answering your question (you may want to post it there as well):

 

https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?/forum/109-talkin-tubes/

 

There are many variables which will dictate the appropriate amp for your needs.  One point is certain- there's no substitute for hearing a prospective amp in your system!  If you state your location you may get a response from someone in the area who has tube amps which they can bring over for an audition.  Alternatively, buying an amp from a dealer or manufacturer who allows you to return it if not satisfied is well worth considering.  Decware is a prime example of such a company.  In addition, some of the Chinese amps which are available on Ebay or Amazon are actually quite good, as well as very inexpensive.  If that interests you, consider sending a PM to William (wdecho) as he has experience with some of them powering LSs.

 

 

Maynard

 

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To all,

I probably should have mentioned a bit more regarding the physical arrangement of things. I custom built a 25' x 36' room for this arrangement. High vaulted ceilings with a large 2nd story balcony for 2 (very capable) 15" subwoofers in their individual boxes. The subs have their own independent amplifier ... naturally. I will be acquiring some Khorns down the not so distant road to complete matters. Ultimately, the La Scala's will become the backup speakers positioned at the rear of the room, and the Horns will be positioned under the high placement of the subs. Hope that all makes sense.

 

I live in SW Utah in a small town near St. George, not far from Zion Nat'l Park. I'm only about an hour drive to Las Vegas. There are no such local places (suggested by Maynard) that would be kind enough to bring over some tube amps to critique and select from. I only wish! 

 

Once the Khorns materialize, will I need two separate amp configurations to drive both sets of speakers? One amp for each pair of speakers? Things are still a bit fuzzy. I think I'm gathering I'll need separate tube amps for the two different speaker models ... or not? Is there such an approach as 1 amp for all 4 speakers?

 

Thanks for the kind input and participation from everyone. I now realize I should have been more specific about the situation.

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I've often wondered if there was a three channel tube amp...

This 4.1/4.2 configuration you speak of for home theater or music?

There aren't a great selection of tube based retailers here in Vegas though I do admit that occasionally  there is a great deal or two that come across craigslist and it really surprise me.

I have been into klipsch heritage for many many years and believe me, they sound great with many different amplifier topologies... they just happen to sound outstanding with a good tube section.

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To Schu;

This is primarily a music room although, I will be doing occasional movies with the setup. I'm not a huge TV person really.

Should you ever see a great deal in Vegas on Tube amps, please let me know! I'm a short drive away. Not sure what you mean by "great tube section" but I think that's what I am seeking. Hard to know what works best for La Scala's and Khorns while corresponding with one another.

 

To Marvel;

Now that's an impressive looking quad amp! I'll be looking into the cost of that. It will no doubt be a hefty figure.

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I run a Bob Latino / VTA ST-70 with 6550 output tubes on my Belle's (clone) and it sounds great in either Pentode or Triode mode.  I built it myself from their kits earlier this year but you can also buy one pre-built.  It might be a tad over your budget but a great sounding amp for the money.  It has the vintage Dynaco ST-70 look but with newer technology and not cheapened up parts to hit a sell price like what was done back when they were originally out.  And I also run them on a Mcintosh MC250 that I recently had rebuilt/updated that sounds wonderful on the.m.  It's hard to say which really sounds "better"; it's just a different presentation.

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On 12/25/2017 at 11:37 PM, Schu said:

I've often wondered if there was a three channel tube amp...

This 4.1/4.2 configuration you speak of for home theater or music?

There aren't a great selection of tube based retailers here in Vegas though I do admit that occasionally  there is a great deal or two that come across craigslist and it really surprise me.

I have been into klipsch heritage for many many years and believe me, they sound great with many different amplifier topologies... they just happen to sound outstanding with a good tube section.

ham and hifi in sparks 

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