amheck Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 Doing a little research ahead of time of a possible La Scala II purchase. I'd like to try tubes and thinking $1500 is my max on a good integrated setup. I saw suggestions of the Quicksilver Horn Mono's but that doesn't leave any $$ room for a pre-amp. I read really good things about the Cronus Magnum and think I may be able to get close to my price for the 2nd version. I think for sure on the first version. But I did see a couple mentions of the CM having some noise with the heritage speakers. Anyone here have this combo care of chime in? I'd, of course, would like to avoid noise and hum if this combo is prone to that. I will most likely just use 1 source, probably a streamer of some sorts. I don't believe I would mind having to bias by hand as long as the process is pretty easy, which is seems to be on most of these. Haven't ruled out the VT-70 kit yet, but if I could get something comparable that's already built, I would probably do so. I see Quicksilver also has a integrated amp, maybe could get lucky on price on a use unit, but I think I'd much prefer somewhere where the tubes are visible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 Within your budget, I would highly recommend a Fisher 400/500C or a Scott 299 B/C/D variant. Restored of course. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amheck Posted April 28, 2022 Author Share Posted April 28, 2022 (edited) 30 minutes ago, jimjimbo said: Within your budget, I would highly recommend a Fisher 400/500C or a Scott 299 B/C/D variant. Restored of course. Any particular reason for that recommendation? The vintage stuff doesn't particularly pique my interest at all for whatever reason, but I'm willing to listen.... Also I know this stuff was probably cheap a few years ago and now prices have surged and that would somewhat bother me to pay those inflated prices Edited April 28, 2022 by amheck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 20 minutes ago, amheck said: Any particular reason for that recommendation? The vintage stuff doesn't particularly pique my interest at all for whatever reason, but I'm willing to listen.... Well, I guess the fact that I own all of those mentioned, as well as La Scala IIs. Believe me, when properly restored, "the vintage stuff" will make the LS IIs sing. The Fisher and Scott prices have not surged nearly as much as the Marantz and Pioneer gear. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcbiz Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 For $1,500, you might consider mono blocks. I have a pair on order myself from QuickSilver Audio. You would need a preamp. Maybe one of your receivers can take care of that. http://quicksilveraudio.com/products/horn-mono-amp/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amheck Posted April 28, 2022 Author Share Posted April 28, 2022 31 minutes ago, pcbiz said: For $1,500, you might consider mono blocks. I have a pair on order myself from QuickSilver Audio. You would need a preamp. Maybe one of your receivers can take care of that. http://quicksilveraudio.com/products/horn-mono-amp/ What sort of wait are are you looking at with those? For $1500 they seem reasonable. Theres a pair of "prototype" horn monos listed on usaudiomart about an hour away. Not sure the small discount is worth not buying new, though. Can you use a DAC with a volume knob as a preamp with those? Was looking at the Black Ice DAC FX which had a volume knob and curious if that would play nice with those mono blocks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakeydeal Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 Congrats on the LS II purchase. You will like these speakers… 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcbiz Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 8 minutes ago, amheck said: What sort of wait are are you looking at with those? For $1500 they seem reasonable. Theres a pair of "prototype" horn monos listed on usaudiomart about an hour away. Not sure the small discount is worth not buying new, though. Can you use a DAC with a volume knob as a preamp with those? Was looking at the Black Ice DAC FX which had a volume knob and curious if that would play nice with those mono blocks The wait is about six weeks. I definitely prefer the new QuickSilver designs. A DAC with a volume knob would work, but you would probably prefer a preamp if you did an A/B test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amheck Posted April 28, 2022 Author Share Posted April 28, 2022 10 minutes ago, Shakeydeal said: Congrats on the LS II purchase. You will like these speakers… Not 100% finalized but hoping to asap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shiva Posted April 29, 2022 Share Posted April 29, 2022 I’m going to cast a vote for Rogue Audio. I dig the look of their amps, they are American made, have been making amps for decades and they also hold up fairly well on the used market. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted April 29, 2022 Share Posted April 29, 2022 Get those speakers and consider power later. You'll thank me... later 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted April 29, 2022 Share Posted April 29, 2022 One thing wonderful about the LSii, beyond the fact that the sound is outstanding, is that they will deliver an increasing level of performance return and listening enjoyment as you begin to throw better and better components at it. Meaning, this first amp and dac you buy won't be the best your la scalas will sound. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amheck Posted April 29, 2022 Author Share Posted April 29, 2022 13 minutes ago, Schu said: Get those speakers and consider power later. You'll thank me... later Yeah, I'm just thinking ahead. I'm running outta money so might have to power them via an AVR for a bit. Fun shopping though. I just gotta make sure I don't came across a deal I can't pass up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smitty8451 Posted April 29, 2022 Share Posted April 29, 2022 When I bought my LSII I originally had them hooked up to my solid state ATI amps with a CX-5000 preamp by Yamaha, they sounded real good. Then I started looking into tube gear and purchased a Rogue Audio Pharoah, long story short 4 years later I have upgraded to 3 complete but separate systems consisting of a Luxman CL-38uC preamp with Rogue audio Atlas Magnum II amp in one, a Rogue RP-7 pre and Rogue ST-100 amp in another, and my Pharoah. I’ve also moved up to La Scala AL5’s for my LCR. All three systems can utilize the La scalas via a Luxman AS-55 speaker selector switch. I found the Luxman paired with the Atlas for vinyl playback Devine and the RP-7 with the St-100 perfect for digital sources, as they say it’s a matter of finding the right synergy between components regardless of manufacturer. Just beware with the scalas it’s a deep rabbit hole, but when you get it right, man it’s so right. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amheck Posted April 29, 2022 Author Share Posted April 29, 2022 Is the Willsenton r8 even something to consider? It seems to get a lot of praise and last nite I saw a couple comments which caught my eye. One, that the Willsenton and Primaluna were both from the same factory (I was drolling over the PL 100 integrated) And two, someone else said the China concern for hifi is really no longer valid as they make so much good stuff there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted April 29, 2022 Share Posted April 29, 2022 better end Chifi is NOT a concern... but some availability might be with the current situation over there. there are a LOT of used equipment options here domestically... that's where I would concentrate if I were even slightly price sensitive. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcbiz Posted April 29, 2022 Share Posted April 29, 2022 4 hours ago, amheck said: Is the Willsenton r8 even something to consider? It seems to get a lot of praise and last nite I saw a couple comments which caught my eye. One, that the Willsenton and Primaluna were both from the same factory (I was drolling over the PL 100 integrated) And two, someone else said the China concern for hifi is really no longer valid as they make so much good stuff there. Some China amp distributors have inventory in the US. Click around Amazon to see what you can find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amheck Posted May 2, 2022 Author Share Posted May 2, 2022 Emailed Rogue this am about pairing the Cronus Magnum II with the LA Scalas. They said with speakers that efficient, you'd probably hear some noise. They recommend either the Cronus Magnum III (out of budget) or the Sphinx v3, which looks nice but I really want to try tubes. I may be back to the Quicksilver Horn Monos and a budget tube preamp. Been searching this am trying to find what that preamp might be. Usaudiomart sure doesn't have a lot of tube preamp listed in the $500 range. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted May 2, 2022 Share Posted May 2, 2022 That is a heck of an admission. You may hear from them again. Guess this Phinx is solid state. So, you have looked at integrated tube amps I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amheck Posted May 2, 2022 Author Share Posted May 2, 2022 yeah, I appreciate their honesty. With buying used, I may very well be buying sight unseen/unheard and would hate for the new system to be super noisy. The Sphinx v3 is a class D design and Steve Guttenberg really liked it. And...its only a hundred or two over my budget. But.....no tubes. And jeeze, who knows, maybe I wouldn't even be able to tell the difference Yeah, I've been looking at $1500 integrated tube amps but like I said, may switch over to the Quicksilver mono amps just because they are made exactly for high efficiency horn speakers. I could see it being very easy to push the buy button at Amazon in the Willsenton r8, too, and having it in 2 days. At least then I suppose it would be returnable if it was noisy with the Ls Scala II's, but I like to try and avoid buying and returning if I can. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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