jcmusic Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 I need info on some tube amp pre-amp combo's, Iam looking into a possible change, I know nothing about tube equipment. someone please help me out. Give me some names of some reliable equipment in which to start with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott0527 Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 Options are endless. What's your budget? Speakers? Do you like to tinker, tweak and fiddle? Or do you want something you can plug in and forget about. I always suggest tube newbies find a nice Dyanco ST70 and PAS preamp to get your feet wet. There are whole forums devoted to helping people with Dynaco's so you're never left helpless. Resale value is good, you can usually resell the stuff for what you paid for it. That combo can give you a good idea of what tubes are all about and can be had for about $500. B ut you might have to do a little tinkering to get the things up to snuff. Anything you buy new will lose a lot of it's value as soon as you plug it in. Well, that's a good opener.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 This might be a consideration. These are built (I should say rebuilt) to a very high standard, and are also IMO very appealing visually -- if one happens to be interested in rather retro-art deco looking audio equipment. I am, which is why I post this here. I have some experience with tubes, and I would buy one of these right now if I could -- and if I wasn't in the market for another Teac digital amp. Erik (oops forgot to copy) see post below, or I'll edit this one. http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstube&1144286690 there it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmusic Posted February 8, 2006 Author Share Posted February 8, 2006 My budget for this first time is $1000.00 for both amp and pre-amp. I like to tinker a little, but until i know a little more about what iam doing let's keep it simple. I have a pair of 1977 k-horns all original. What kind of power do i need and so on? Thanks Jay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 Here is a combo that will get your feet wet within your budget (almost): http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstube&1144621961 Or this: http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstube&1142092669 And one of these: http://www.juicymusicaudio.com/web_pages/Merlin2.html Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 I'd suggest to go with a Merlin preamp. If you need to stick with a SS poweramp for a while no prob. Get a tube poweramp later when you can. Might as well start out with a preamp you could keep from now on. I have driven a $100 Teac digital amp with a Merlin preamp and the sound is absolutely killer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 My budget for this first time is $1000.00 for both amp and pre-amp. I like to tinker a little, but until i know a little more about what iam doing let's keep it simple. I have a pair of 1977 k-horns all original. What kind of power do i need and so on? Thanks Jay. If this is your first trip into the vacuum tube world, I'd suggest looking into a rebuilt vintage Scott 299 or Fisher 500 series integrated amp to start. Either of those rebuilt will make your Khorns absolutely sing. You can sample them, and decide if in fact you like the tube sound at a reasonable pricepoint. If you end up deciding it's not for you, then you can always sell it and get most, or all of your money back. Both series can be purchased and rebuilt well within your budget. If you like the sound you may decide to spend more and go with seperates down the road. For some helpful guidance, I'd recommend contacting Craig Ostby over at NOSValves.com. Pick his brain. He's very knowledgeable, has extensive experience, is extremely helpful and will offer many suggestions within your price range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmusic Posted February 8, 2006 Author Share Posted February 8, 2006 Thanks guys for all the info and help, i will be looking into it soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilbert Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 The best tubed preamps you will ever find are here, contact Mark........ http://www.juicymusicaudio.com/index.html I own his Blueberry, and can confidently say, you won't find a better preamp. The best tube amp you can get is here, contact Craig..... http://www.nosvalves.com/vrd.htm I do not have a pair of his amp, but will in less than a month. Both are member here, and will give your solid advise. As for power, well, you can never have enough CLEAN POWER, but your Khorns will require a miniscule amount. But aim for 30W min. I'm running 2 60W amps, and they are grossly over powered for Khorns, your ears will bleed before you even begin to work the amps. Good luck on your gear choice. Oh, before I forget, Craig (aka NOSValves) would also be an excellent source for dependable 2nd Hand gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmusic Posted February 8, 2006 Author Share Posted February 8, 2006 Thanks Gilbert, I have already e-mailed him for some help. next i will check out the other site you mentioned. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmusic Posted February 9, 2006 Author Share Posted February 9, 2006 do you see any problems using a merlin pre-amp with a vintage marantz power amp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 Dee: "I have driven a $100 Teac digital amp with a Merlin preamp and the sound is absolutely killer" No doubt about that. I have one here to experiment with that Shawn modified -- not the usual powersupply stuff or replacement binding posts (which IMO are already adequate), but some circuit gain changes that make an already extremely quiet performer even more so. The 4th channel is easily brought to life (it already is alive, and just needs the input/output connections made), and for the price (and for me) has been among the very best amplifiers I have heard. That's four channels of very clean power for very efficient horns. For surround sound, hard to beat, IMO. Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 "I have driven a $100 Teac digital amp with a Merlin preamp and the sound is absolutely killer. " ====== Hey Dee -- what amp ARE you using now? md A real sweet pair of Mark III's. Took this Merlin/MarkIII combo to the Klipsch gathering in Hope last September. It was a nice showoff for the Merlin. Oh yeh, I do like the sound better than with the Teac, but the Teac is no slouch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 These are the Mark III's. Beauty, eh? I'd rather have pCATs, but they are o.k. in a pinch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 "These are the Mark III's. Beauty, eh?" They are nice, and I almost bought them myself! I'm glad you did, though... Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 These are the Mark III's. Beauty, eh? I'd rather have pCATs, but they are o.k. in a pinch. Those sure are purty Dee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 Here is another pair just like Dee's: http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstube&1144285313 Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 Here is another pair just like Dee's: http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstube&1144285313 Rick Yep, I snatched that pic off audiogon since I don't have a pic handy of my amps. Same builder, same scheme. That autospec does some very fine work at near give away prices IMO. Erik Mandaville gave me the heads up on these last year. Thanks Erik. I still enjoy them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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