Connmar Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 Ive just purchased a pair of used K-Horns. During the time i've been waiting on them to arrive Ive been shown the light! I heard a pair of Belles on an integrated tube amp. Okay....I now know what I need to have to drive my k-horns. Ive been a transistor guy all my life...having used Yamaha and Onkyo equipment to drive my other Klipsch products. But the only thing.....ive been looking at tube amps and realize....these things are darn expensive. What can I expect to pay for a decent amp and preamp? Im new and dont want to get hoodwinked into something that's not of good quality. Does anyone have recomendations and or pieced they might be interested in selling that might fit my need? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 It's called DIY. The actual parts and quantity of them are generally not substantial in most tube amps (except for the power supplies). It's more about the "estoteric" factor and the price people are willing to pay. Many of the "old timers" are capable of designing and building their own. But for an inexpensive start you might try Bottlehead kits. You can also have Bottlehead provide fully assembled units, or you can find them on Audiogon or Ebay. Just be aware that when buying used built "kits" you're at the mercy of the person's skill and qualifiactions of who built it. http://www.bottlehead.com/ Then of course there are the vintage re-builds (EICO & Fisher for instance) that many Forum members can upgrade for you, NOSvalves come to mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshnich Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 Its hard to answer the question without knowing what you consider inexpensive. Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 depends on what you mean by inexpensive, if you mean performance to dollar spent there are plenty of nice tube amps to be had at a great price. i personally believe the only way to asses the value of a piece of gear is to compare the cost to the performance and its perforance as compared to previous geare you have ouned / heard. with that said i am always running across gear in the sub 1000.00 range that performs as good or better than gear costing substantially more. you also have to ask yourself what asthetics mean to you !!!!!!!!!!!! Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MechMan Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 You could also look into Jolida for starter tube gear. My 102b has been a great performer for the mere 400 it cost me, a little bass shy...but you cant have it all if you looking for budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ69 Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 Connmar, Khorns deserve a good amp, how much is your budget? Thanx, Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 what do you consider expensive....parts express sells new tube amps for 800 bucks...you can get refurbished 40 year old rust buckets for about 600. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HudsonValleyNoah Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 I love my tube amps! I have spent $200 to get my first 20 watt Mono Scott integrated amp, then got another for a total of around $440. I wanted more wattage so I bought a Scott LK-72 and asked Terry De Wick to give it the works (rebuilt) and WOW. Total cost, around $550. It's only money, the music is forever... Noah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschfoot Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 I paid around $20 for my Magnavox PP tube amp that I rescued from a console. So, yea, there are cheap tube amps to be had. But, I have not upgraded it or even plugged it in. BTW, I have read that tube and diaphragm speaks are killer. Horns generally need tube amplification. You have to experiment and find the right combo that suits your ear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bliss53 Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 I have listened to alot of expensive vintage tube gear and my cayin a50t at about $1,300 beats them all for me. So far I prefer the EL34 tubes with all my klipsch speakers. I am waiting for tubes for the two scott mono amps I got from Noah. Maybe I will become a 6L6 tube lover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noway1 Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 Antique Sound Lab makes some good inexpensive stuff that's available on the used market sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhw59 Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 Let me jump in here as I bothered HarryB enough and ask how many watts per channel do I really need????. I listen to rock jazz and some classical with Heresy Is that I recently had upgraded by ChrisM to much sonic benefit. I'm currently running a Jolida cd player with a 30 year old Yamaha integrated amp that has 100 watts per channel across the bandwidth. It supplies plenty of power. Occasionally I turn it up when I'm alone but mostly regular volume levels.I realize tube watts are different and I don't need as much but how many will be enough??? I appreciate all the thoughts on different models. HarryB does not recommend Jolida amps but their HQ is only 30 minutes from here if I had problems. Is the rest of the group adverse to Jolida tube integrated amps as well?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ69 Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 I have a little Jolida, better than most lower priced SS amps but not as good as my Quicksilver mini-monos. The Jolida is a good place to start but I'd try a EL-34 integrated as bliss53 recommended if the price is not too much. Thanx, Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheltie dave Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 "I realize tube watts are different..snip" Tube watts are not different, unless you are playing an electric guitar and want the distortion. Amps are rated the same way, and clipping has a way of being recognized if you commonly play music in a manner where you frequently visit the design limits. As far as an inexpensive tube amp, there are a multitude of cheap products. If you are satisfied with a cheap SS amp on your KHorns, then you should have little problem with cutting cornes on the tube side as well. For better or worse, KHorns manage to show all the warts in your system, rewarding you for excellance and throwing cheap back in your face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connmar Posted November 2, 2008 Author Share Posted November 2, 2008 Hey guys, Thanks for all your great advice. I was hoping to get started sub $600 and build from there. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 If you are willing to wait and strike when the time is right, 600.00 will buy you a LOT of pleasure. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heideana Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 If you're looking for inexpensive tube equipment, you might also check out Rogue Audio. I think they've got an "economical" line. I have one of their Tempest II's and its' been pretty flexable for the money.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David H Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 I have always liked the Dynaco gear, This might be a nice piece from Ebay. Not affiliated http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=270285639971 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilbucd Posted November 4, 2008 Share Posted November 4, 2008 Lots of discussion on tube amps but how much of the sound depends on the preamp as well? Is it best to choose a matched name brand pair or could you get the full tube amp benefit by using say, the preout jacks on a receiver? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray_pierrewit Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 I was in the same boat as you are, only I own Lascalas. They weredriven by the cheap Trends amp until I decided to dip my toes intubes... I was hesitant to buy vintage (I see lots of vintage tube"rust buckets" in flea markets, but they seem like alot of work). Idecided to buy a little Glow One integrated amp, it's gotten somepretty rave reviews and I had the chance to listen to it at theMontreal FSI show. It's a well built SEP amp using EL84s, output is 5Wand it doubles as a headphone amp with a USB connection. For 450$ Ithink it's hard to go wrong, plus it sounds really nice. I've sincemoved into a new house and my dedicated listening room is unfinished,so the Lascalas are waiting in the basement. I've purchased a used pairof Heresy IIs for the living room and am driving them with the Glow AmpOne... very satisfying sound. I'm not affiliated with this site, but I thought I'd send the link if ever you're interested. http://www.audio-magus.com/product_p/gla1.htm Good luck! Daniel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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