m00n Posted March 6, 2003 Share Posted March 6, 2003 How do you guys power your belles/scalas using tubes? What do you use for a receiver? I hear that for the heritage tube amps are the way to go. But do they make a tube amp / receiver all in one? If so, what is a good piece of equipment to look at? Or if sepparats what is good. Is it possible to make your own tube amp? if so how hard? Sorry for asking so many questions about the belles and la scalas, but I am just about convienced that Rick would be a better man with a set of belles or La Scalas. . And what's better, I think my wife doesnt really care. She thinks its stupid but I think she has come to the realization that I really want these. I have been talking about them for months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edster00 Posted March 6, 2003 Share Posted March 6, 2003 m00n, Have you decided if you want to go 2 channel or are you talking HT here, it will make a difference. If you are talking 2 channel I would definitely go seperates and IMHO you would only need a few (<10) watts. I am driving my K-horns with 3.5 wpc (gets me >100dB at my listening chair 14' away easily) and I am probably going to buy a 1 wpc amp to try out too. Others will advise you to to higher powered than I am but that is what I found works best for me in my 2 channel room ~14'x 22'x8'. When I had my Belles and Cornwalls I tried a Jolida 801A (70wpc-turned out to be more power than I wanted or needed),a Decware Signature Zen Triode Mono Blocks SV83M (rated at 3.6 wpc but couldn't get much past 90dB without pooping out), a Antique Sound Labs MGSI15 DT/s (5wpc triode or 15wpc pentode switchable-pooped out in the 90dB range also in 5wpc triode mode). Those are just the tube amps. My favorite SS amp was a Monarchy SM-70 @ 25wpc and I eventually got a second one to run as monoblocks. There are many amp kits out there but I am not confident enough to try to put one together. I bought most of my gear used at AudiogoN (except my preamp only because the one I wanted doesn't come up used very often). I can't give any info on HT and tubes as I have no experience with it. I can tell you that my wife likes to watch movies using the 2 channel system (K-horns and Moondogs ) almost as much as she does in the HT system (Klispch RF-3s all around w/Sunfire Signature sub). I've gotta get back to work for now. I am sure others will chime in here and give their opinions also. Keep us posted on your progress and decisions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-malotky Posted March 6, 2003 Share Posted March 6, 2003 Moon Most of the tube guys here are running single Ended Triode tube amps that put out 3-5 watts. That is great for music, but For HT you will need more power than that IMO. Separates are still the best way to go for both HT and 2 CH. For example, I use a Lexicon MC-1 for my HT and separate mono amps for each speaker in my HT. In the comming year, I plan to replace my SS amps to the front 3 channels of my system with McIntosh MC 30 tube amps. You can drive heritage with SS equipment, so do not feel you need to replace everything to get into Heritage. Just beware that Heritage is very sensitive. They bring out any sound crystal clear, including amp hiss and ground problems, faulty interconnects etc. Cool that your wife is into it too. JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted March 6, 2003 Share Posted March 6, 2003 m00n, What type of music , What sound level are you after , Home Theater ? , what size of room and so on ? We need details. What is good for some are not always good for all !! Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted March 6, 2003 Author Share Posted March 6, 2003 Thanks guys for the input so far... To answer your questions. The belles would be for 2 channel. I just don't see replacing my R7s yet in my theater yet. The living room is in the neighborhood of 20ft by 15ft I guess. really it's hard to describe because of the odd "L" shaped nature of it. I listen to mostly rock, but I also enjoy artists like Enya(sp?), David Arkenstone, Transsiberian Orchistra(sp?). Pink Floyd is always good, though The Wall is the only CD I have. I know that you don't need tubes to run the heritage, but I have heard that tubes sound better than SS with heritage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted March 6, 2003 Share Posted March 6, 2003 m00n - From one tube nube to another... It was suggested I look at amps/integrated amps that use EL84/6BQ5 tubes as those tubes are easy to come by (read "cheap") and provide a nice sound. Kelly likes tube rectification (sounds like a medical test that men over 50 have). I found a 1959 Fisher X-101 ST integrated amp that puts out about 25 wpc, in very good condition with a recent rebuild for about $225. Into my Chorus speakers, it will peel paint off the wall at 1/3 volume. But beyond volume, it sounds terrific (based on my very limited experience) compared to my Acurus/Denon SS amplifcation. That magical "first watt" and "tube watts vs. SS watts" stuff, I suppose. It tamed some of the horn harshness, and added quite a bit of clarity. I personally do not listen to the radio, so having a tuner meant nothing to me. I think Fisher's may be a well kept secret (like the Chorus), but you see them all the time on Ebay... DD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted March 6, 2003 Author Share Posted March 6, 2003 have any of you considered making your own tube amp? If so, how difficult it is it? Can you build a good quality amp? Damn... I love this stuff. I would be such a hoot build your own tube amp and show it off. I have not had a chance to read all of this guys article on creating your own amp, but he sure made some great looking amps... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbflash Posted March 6, 2003 Share Posted March 6, 2003 mdeneen, I just read your post about fisher's. i went to audiogon.com there are two fisher's for sale. fisher 400 $275. fisher 500b $200. What's the difference and what do you know about them. danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted March 6, 2003 Share Posted March 6, 2003 I've always liked the Fisher amps. And quite frankly, IMO, its a better unit than some of the other stuff promoted around here. Things like EICO were just cheap el'crappo stuff when they were new. Some folks would have you believe they somehow magically got better after 30-40 years (even after mod's & upgrades)? I don't think so. DD: "It tamed some of the horn harshness" I think what you meant to say is "the horns exposed the SS amp's harshness". In Europe, integrated amps are the rage. The idea being that all the amp stages are "hard wired" & therefore there are fewer connections, cables, & shorter signal paths, etc. I prefer separates. Single-ended triodes may be all the rage now too. But they are not necessarily the end all to end all either. Some very well known & highly respected amplifier designers such as Tim De Paravicini & Mike Sanders (Quicksilver Audio)(has worked with Klipsch for years & has owned Khorns for more than 20 yrs) prefer push-pull output stages. Use your ears & decide for yourself. http://www.audiocircuit.com/9120-valveamplifier-circuit/Commercial/EsotoricAudioResearch-EAR/9120CMEAR-HIS.htm http://www.stereophile.com/showarchives.cgi?581 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted March 6, 2003 Share Posted March 6, 2003 ---------------- On 3/6/2003 1:00:19 PM artto wrote: I've always liked the Fisher amps. And quite frankly, IMO, its a better unit than some of the other stuff promoted around here. Things like EICO were just cheap el'crappo stuff when they were new. Some folks would have you believe they somehow magically got better after 30-40 years (even after mod's & upgrades)? I don't think so. DD: "It tamed some of the horn harshness" I think what you meant to say is "the horns exposed the SS amp's harshness". ---------------- Touche, Artto, you are correct. It's all in the wording And let's not talk about these Fishers too much - don't want to drive the price up and put them out of our reach!! Look what happened to the Eico's... DD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted March 6, 2003 Share Posted March 6, 2003 no kiddin' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted March 6, 2003 Share Posted March 6, 2003 I've stated on this forum many times that Fisher makes some great gear. I myself wouldn't ever buy a reciever because I wouldn't want to be hindered by the Tuner section. If you ever opened one of them up and take a look they are chaulk full of parts and 20 times harder to work on then a integrated amp just check and see what Bizzie Bee gets to refurb one these and I think he earns every penny its somewhere around $500 to $800 depending on tubes and the Multi section cans. But Fisher makes some great integrated amps !! I've done a couple so far and they sound great !! I would opt for a seperate tuner and buy a Integrated amp. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjohnsonhp Posted March 6, 2003 Share Posted March 6, 2003 Moon, Rather than build an amp from scratch you could consider restoring a vintage amp and doing some modifications. You could take one old amp and then buy a modification kit to replace the old circuit...or follow some modification advice. You basically are using the chasis and transformers from the old amp. You can tweak the sound with different parts. The other option is to buy a kit and do the assembly work. You will probably want tubes for 2-channel and SS multi-channel amp/receiver for HT. Why don't you keep your RF7 HT and put the Belles and tubes in a different room for 2-channel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted March 6, 2003 Author Share Posted March 6, 2003 Well, from what others have told me in the other thread, I most likely will not be getting any belles or la scalas anytime soon. So, this whole tube thing is a mute point now. Oh and the belles were going to be for my 2 channel living room, not my home theater. My theater would still have my R7s with my Harman Kardon. The tube amp would have pushed my belles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.