Bonzo Posted December 31, 2005 Share Posted December 31, 2005 I hope I won't regret this but I just bought an Anthem Integrated 1 tube amp. Having had bad experiences with tube amps in the past and bashing them on them on this site, I hope I will eat my words and love this amp! I have read that with a small investment in up-graded parts, this amp will rival many in the mega kilo-buck range. I hope so. I want to tame my modified Forte' II's a bit and am optomistic this will help. Does anyone have any experience with this amp and/or have any suggestions on mods? I just purchaed this on Audiogon and don't have it yet. The guy I bought from says it sounds great and he's replaced the stock tubes with Mullards and JJ's. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted December 31, 2005 Share Posted December 31, 2005 Bonzo, I've read the reviews of this amp on audioreview.com and these folks are universally complimentary of the amp. Don't recall folks on the forum speaking of this, but it certainly ought to be very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonzo Posted December 31, 2005 Author Share Posted December 31, 2005 Thanks Dee, I always forget to go to Audioreview, I will check it out. It is apparently a "push-pull" amp. What is the difference between that and say a single ended amp, triode etc.? I don't remeber what my old Antique Sound Labs amp was exactly but I think it was a triode? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted December 31, 2005 Share Posted December 31, 2005 a push-pull amp will be in a different league in terms of power and bass dynamics. This looks like a winner for your system. Triode circuits can be Single Ended or Push Pull either one. The single ended triode will be a low powered, but lush and liquid midrange, IMO. The triode can also function in a push pull configuration and some people seem to marvel at the sound, I do not always find triode as an improvement over pentode tubes in a PP configuration. It always seems that the sound will be the result of the whole circuit and synergy of parts rather than, say triode alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonzo Posted January 1, 2006 Author Share Posted January 1, 2006 Thanks Dee, as I said, I am really looking forward to the venture into tubes again but I hope my expectations aren't too high. I had nothing but problems with the Antique Sound Labs amp and it was in the shop more than it was in my stereo rack! After a couple hundred dollors and 2 fried Tung-sol 6550's, I was not happy and biased against tube amps for home stereo. I have always been a fan of tube amps for guitar. In fact, my avatar has my SUNN Model T tube amp sitting on my Fender Bassman cab. I haven't found a solid state guitar amp that can match a good tube amp! I will keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted January 1, 2006 Share Posted January 1, 2006 I've owned Anthem tube gear more than once and was always pleased with it. The Integrated 1 has a great reputation and I think you'll like it quite a bit. Only 25 watts I believe, but I think it will suprise you. The K-stack should have taken most of the bite out of the sound -- still there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinr Posted January 1, 2006 Share Posted January 1, 2006 The Integrated 1 is a great amp. I owned one a few years ago running my then KG5.5's. Mine was black. I wish I never sold it. It was so much better than the Jolida's I later bought in every aspect, including build quality. It's a shame Anthem (Sonic Frontiers) doesn't make it anymore. When I bought mine (new) all the tubes came carefully packed and Anthem included a pair of white gloves for the installation of the tubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonzo Posted January 1, 2006 Author Share Posted January 1, 2006 I am in the process of completely changing my system. I know some , if not most of the edge on the Forte' II's is my Yamaha receiver. Before the crossovers, the sound was more muted and not revealing. After the K-stacks, more detail, better bass, crisp highs. It was at this time that I also changed the tweeter diaphragms to titaniums which brought the upper treble more into focus and some notes and vocals draw more attention to themselves than they should, IMHO. Hopefully the Anthem will be the ticket. Happy New Year to all!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonzo Posted January 6, 2006 Author Share Posted January 6, 2006 I got the Anthem this afternoon and have been listening to it for about four hours with various types of music. What it does well, it does very well! Jazz, acoustic guitar, quartets etc. For me, the jury is still out on rock with a lot of bass. I will admit I listen less and less to that kind of music. My Dad says I'm getting old? Maybe, but I still like to crank it a bit. One thing I really noticed was the highs were much more pleasant, not harsh at all. Unfortunately, there is no phono stage. I still have my old Denon table and boxes of albums. I just can't hook up a table with my current rack anyway so I guess it's for the best. When I played "Take 5" on SACD, I felt that everything was right with the world. Joe Morello's snare and cymbals were as they should be with thump and sustain respectively. I am going to give it a couple of weeks before I start exploring mods, tubes etc. I think I have lost my mind as I once said I would never fall into the "tube trap" again! It pains me to admit it, but, my Forte' II's never sounded so good so I may be hooked, again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinr Posted January 6, 2006 Share Posted January 6, 2006 For an add on phono stage try the NAD PP-2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Blacksmith Posted January 6, 2006 Share Posted January 6, 2006 Congrats on the amp! I have a Sonic Frontiers Power 1 amp. They were bought by Anthem. I am quite pleased with it. To me I couldn't tell the difference between it and the much raved about on this board, VRDs. Smooth, great presentation, very good imaging with lots of depth. I know that comment will get under the skin of a few here but to my tin ears, there was no difference. I am sure you will love your amp as well, give it a little time for things to settle in, make sure your speakers are positioned properly for max bass and I am sure you will hold on to it for a long, long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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