RJD Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 I'm at a loss to which piece of gear I should replace. I have Forte's, a B&K pro 5 pre-amp and an adcom gfa555 power amp. The forte's will NEVER leave! Which affects the sound more the amp or the pre-amp? What about a integrated hybrid such as those offer by Jolida? (tubed pre-amp only) As I am limited to about $500; I need to make the best chioce possible. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 My suggestion would be a tubed preamp. Haven't heard the Jolida hybrid personally, as I recall, reviews were ok but unremarkable. You should hear a number of excellent options in the $500 range, particularly if you are willing to shop for used gear. That would be my recommendation as you can sell it later, if you like, without taking a bath on resale value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tosco Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 hi i own a pair of klipsch forte II driven by a jolida 202 modified. They sound terrific !! I had an excellent solid state amplifier (densen dm10) but i can assure you that klipsch sounds much much better with a valve amp. bye tosco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texas42 Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 I'd recommend a refurbished Scott 299 (integrated tube) or Fisher 400 (tube receiver). An all in one solution and both sound great with horns. If you decide to go the tube preamp route though, I have a Audio Experience Music Mk II tube preamp in new condition I'm selling for $250.00 plus shipping. It has 4 line inputs but no phono stage. Regards, Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyhorns Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 For $500 you can get the Transcendent Sound Grounded Grid preamp in kit form, not only do you get a quiet tube preamp, you get to build it too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJD Posted January 28, 2005 Author Share Posted January 28, 2005 I have been looking at some vintage Dyanco, Eico, Scott and Sherwood gear both power amps, pre-amps and integrated but I am still undecided. Your pre-amp sounds great except that I would want a phono stage. I forgot how good vinyl sounded until I recently bought a Denon DP-45. Thanks for your suggestions Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 Just a reminder. Some of us run vintage solid state preamps with phono stages and many of those preamps make for a great combination with tube amps. Very tube sounding with all the convenience of solid state. Yes, I run all tubes for my Belles (pre & amp), but vinyl sounds excellent through my Marantz 7T SS preamp and Dynaco Mark IIIs (with my RF-7s). An older solid state pre may afford you some more options (with a phono stage) at the pricepoint you are looking for. Carl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 You may want to consider a new tube preamp with a 12AX7 output phono stage, such as this inexpensive CVT1030 Control Center Vacuum Tube Preamp from AMC (by Weltronics Corp. of London). I paid about $350 for it new a few years ago, and it had a rich, warm sound, especially with my LPs played on my Denon DP-62L 'table with a Sumiko Blue Point MC cartridge. It used two 12AU7 input tubes and the two 12AX7s (both pairs NOS '83 JAN Philips) for the phono stage, and it mated quite well with my SS McIntosh MC7200 power amp driving both my Magnepans and later my Cornwalls. Just my two cents worth...Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholtl Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 Although I agree a tube-based preamp or amp would be the best choice, I just thought I'd throw out another option. Musical Fidelity makes a tube buffer stage. I have no idea how it sounds, but the company is very well established. http://www.musicalfidelity.com/mf/en/Products/SmallX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJD Posted January 30, 2005 Author Share Posted January 30, 2005 ---------------- On 1/29/2005 11:36:02 AM jt1stcav wrote: http://forums.klipsch.com/idealbb/files/P1010936_450a.jpg"> ---------------- Thanks for the many comments, advice and suggestions. The wealth of knowledge is amazing along with some of the fabulous systems you guys possess. I have been searching various audio sites and e-bay for vintage equipment. However the price of quality tube amps and preamps are surprising even though they are 30 to 40 years old. I am acting on a suggestion from someone on this site who owns a CVT1030 pre-amp by AMC. It definately sounds like I would like this pre-amp and it is within my price range. However, after much searching, I could only find one (CVT1030S) available at the AMC web site and they wanted $800 for it (much more than I want to spend). Again..many thanks for your help! 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.