Entry Level Tubes? Do they exist?

[Dominick22]

I would like to power my Ascent i's with tubes, but for 200-300 dollars! I know-I am crazy!

Can anyone even reccomend a brand/model in that price range????????

If mono amps...300 would be the total budget-not 300 per amp!

Thanks,
Dominick

 

[risabet]

Yep, you're dreaming. The least expensive amp I can think of that might drive Ascent i is around $750 used on A'gon right now (Prima Luna 4). At that budget I would stick with SS or look at tube pre-amp kits.

 

[Dreamer]

You might consider bi-amping them with a SS amp for the bass, and small tube amps for the ESL panels. Matching the output volumes might be a little tricky, but with enough fiddling, you could probably get it to work...

Go for used tubes. McIntosh, maybe some old Quads, Manley, Jolida. I doubt you're going to find any decent used tube amps (even small ones) for under $500 though. Tubes, even small, low-power ones, are a pricey proposition.

And you've got to consider the long-term cost of running tubes. With tube amps, it's not the initial cost that kills you, it's the cost of replacing and maintianing the tubes over the life of the amp that drives the nails into your check book. A matched set of 8 KT88s or 6550's can cost almost as much as a pair of Vistas...

Of course, if you love the tube sound, but don't mind "cheating", you might look into some old Carver or new Sunfire amps. Low cost, high power, and tubey as all get out, with the added bonus of being 100% solid state.

Or you might consider just using SS gear all through the chain, and getting a tube buffer to stick between the preamp and amplifier. That can make a LOT of difference in some systems, especially with very fast, analytical amps like Krells or Levinsons.

--Richard C.

 

[edwinr]

For that sort of money it's better to stick with s/s. Good tube stuff starts off at least 3 times that money IMHO.

 

[Dominick22]

Thanks guys!

You ruined my valentines day!lol

Dominick

 

[Rich]

There is always the Heath Kit kind of DIY project that you could do. Still might cost you more than a couple of hundred though. Your best bet would be to look for an older Jolida on the 'Gon. No. Actually your best bet would be to save up more money because you are not likely to find anything worth buying for $200 to $300. Just my opinion, of course. Happy Valentine's Day.

 

[Cherian]

Think China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong. I see 12 to 25 watt tube amps there all the time for $300.00. Its a start. I got my 18 watt tube amp in Taiwan for a little over $300.00

See the link below it has address and phone number for a Chinese tube amplifier manufacturer make some phone calls and who know what you can get.

http://www.tradekey.com/product_view/id/160972.htm

 

[johnlabadia]

Agreed that you could build your own. An amp would be more expensive, but you could build a tube pre-amp.

I built a previous version of the 'BottleHead Foreplay', and it came out great. I've got it coupled with a Carver 705, which is 125x5 or 200x2, driving B&W 705's. Very sweet sound indeed. (Not an ML owner yet, shopping for Vista's)

I had bought the kit as a winter project, and to learn about how some of the pre-amp circuits affect the final sound. The version I bought had upgrade parts available, so I've built it, and re-built it with different parts, to see what affect the changes had.

I'm no EE by any means, but I can follow instructions and soldering is pretty simple.

Looks like the newer version of the pre-amp is even nicer than the one I built.

Check out the Foreplay here.

They've also got amp kits, but they are more expensive.

-jpl

 

[miljac]

Well, I recently bought an el cheapo Chinese tube amp (2x35 W with EL34 ultralinear) sold here under several different names (Dynavox, Palcom, Audio Institute,... VR 70 E). Recently the amp has gained some popularity here in Germany because of its low price (300-400 EUR) and its tweaking potential. Currently it's playing in my secondary system where I do my development work. All that I can say - incredibly good sound for the money. Will do some capacitor (Mundorf) tweaking when I find the time.

The amp is still waiting for me to try it on my Ascent's panels. Guess I'm too busy (or too lazy ) - I have it for more than a month now and still have not tried it on MLs.

FYI, some people swear that with Mundorf caps and Russian tubes the little thing beats some 4000 EUR expensive gear out there. Still - unconfirmed, just an internet rumor.

HTH

regards

miljac

 

[Craig]

And you've got to consider the long-term cost of running tubes. With tube amps, it's not the initial cost that kills you, it's the cost of replacing and maintianing the tubes over the life of the amp that drives the nails into your check book. A matched set of 8 KT88s or 6550's can cost almost as much as a pair of Vistas...

Most 6550/KT88 tubes are reasonably priced at about $35 each and should last a few years.

http://www.upscaleaudio.com/view_category.asp?cat=85

 

[MiTT]

Most 6550/KT88 tubes are reasonably priced at about $35 each and should last a few years.

http://www.upscaleaudio.com/view_category.asp?cat=85

Yeah, that statement about a matched set costing as much as a pair of Vista's seemed a bit outlandish to me as well. I retubed my old Rogue M-120's with a matched Octet of KT88's about 6 months before I sold them for $320.00 from Upscale.