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Never had tubes. Need advice.

gbroot

gbroot

Super Member
I may be ready to jump into tube gear. Staying within a budget of 1K, I am interested in either new,used,or even a vintage tube integrated amp or receiver. If vintage or used I would want a unit that has been serviced and that will be musical and reliable for several years. I would like at least 50 watt/ch. Is this possible for 1K? I see the Fisher and Scott units out there but am unfamiliar with other options/better options (if there are any). Thanks in advance for your advice and input.
 
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For new @ $1K - Jolida, Musical Paradise, Yaqin, Dared, others I can't think of at the moment. If you start researching those brands you'll surely stumble upon others.

Used - Go to Bartertown and shop your socks off. Lots of options for $1K

If you give other detail people will offer advice as well, since it's your first tube amp it may benefit you.
 
Hi there. Where in New Mexico are you? I'm in ABQ.

There's tons of great options for under $1k. Unless you must buy new I'd def recommend used.

I recently picked up a mint condition TAD-60 for $800. Amazingly good performing tube amp/integrated. Cayin is another good option as well.
 
You can easily get into tubes for 1K or less. There are many, many options.

In the used vintage category, a refurbished Scott 299 series integrated amp is a wonderful amp that will give you many years of great sound. I got one for about $600.00 a while back and paired it to a vintage pair of KLH 17 speakers. The combination is heavenly. The Scott has a very good phono preamp built in. You can find them on Audiogon, here at Barter Town and on ebay. Unless you can work on it yourself, you need to make sure the selenium rectifier and the caps have been replaced. Also, you can get some Russian tubes from Jim McShane that can be used in place of the power tubes.

In the used new category, a PrimaLuna Prologue One is a dandy integrated amp with great sound, low maintenance and great build quality. It doesn't have a phono input built in, but you can get one if you want it. I got one of these for about $900.00 used and still use it in my office system.

In the new category, Jolida and Yaquin make good enrty level amps and can be obtained for under 1K. Check with Underwood Wally for Jolida equipment. You can also visit the Pacific Valve website for specials.

If you're willing to spend more than a grand, Cayin makes excellent tube amps. I have an A88-T in my home system that I got used for $1200.00. It is my best amp and hasn't been replaced in over five years. It is designed to sound like a McIntosh 275.

Happy Hunting!
 
$1K would buy a very nice, restored vintage tube amp in Bartertown and most likely money left over for a tuner, speakers, etc.

Become a subscriber and gain access to BT, it only costs $25.
 
50 watts a channel limits things a lot. Honestly, there just aren't a great many vintage tube amps at that power level. Many "big" amps are more like 30 a channel. Do you actually need that much power? Generally with tubes, you get big sound by using more efficient speakers. Often you'll find that 10-20 watts per channel will give a lot more sound than you might expect.
 
kray said:
Hi there. Where in New Mexico are you? I'm in ABQ.

There's tons of great options for under $1k. Unless you must buy new I'd def recommend used.

I recently picked up a mint condition TAD-60 for $800. Amazingly good performing tube amp/integrated. Cayin is another good option as well.
Click to expand...

Eastern NM. Clovis/Portales area. Thanks for the recommendation.
 
gadget73 said:
50 watts a channel limits things a lot. Honestly, there just aren't a great many vintage tube amps at that power level. Many "big" amps are more like 30 a channel. Do you actually need that much power? Generally with tubes, you get big sound by using more efficient speakers. Often you'll find that 10-20 watts per channel will give a lot more sound than you might expect.
Click to expand...

+1 on this.

Getting efficient speakers you can pair with your amp is a better strategy in my book unless you are married to the ones you already have. Also, 30 watts is plenty for most rooms in my experience. Another possible strategy which I am implementing in the next few weeks is to let the frequencies below 100 hz be amplified by a SS amp and above that by tubes. You get the best from both worlds and your ears aren't very sensitive or discerning at <100 hz.
 
The 845 Music Angel makes 20 watts which is plenty of power for your speaker. It sells for around $500 on ebay. There's also the 300B Monoblocks that go for $799 shipped. The Chinese amps offer great bang for the buck.
 
gbroot said:
I currently have KLH 5, 23, & 17's. The 5 & 23's are not the most efficient. I may be adding AR3a's which I understand require some power.
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I'd go with a restored Fisher 500C. I have one that I use with a pair of refurbished KLH Model 5 speakers and love the combo. The 500C has more then enough power for the 5's. Good luck with your tube purchase.
 
I liked my Fisher 500 and 400 but there were issues with them as well as with every vintage tube amp I've owned. I also had an HH Scott, ST70 and Rotel/Martel FAX.

My Chinese amps OTOH have proven far more reliable and the build quality is some of the best I've seen.
 
Overlooked the 50w requirement. Not available in most tube amps. That being said, I wholeheartedly agree with the other posters that efficient speakers will more than make up for the lack of wattage. The PrimaLuna that I have is rated at 35W. I'm using Reference 3A mm de capo speakers with it, rated at 92db efficiency and I can fill a very large 18 x 18 office with them. With my choice of music (jazz, acoustic,classical) I never have to set the volume greater than ten o'clock and usually have it set at 9 o'clock. The Reference speakers BTW are a great match for tube amplifiers.
 
I am new to tubes and started out with a Jolida FX 10...10 watts per channel...that's it. It easily keeps up with what I had before, a hybrid w/50 per channel. It 's limited but with the very efficient speakers it works pretty good.
Tube power is not the same as SS power.
 
I own a number of vintage tube amps and receivers. I bought an electronically restored Scott 299C (very nice cosmetic condition) a couple of years ago for $550 and I'm very pleased - this is my day-to-day tube workhorse. There is a risk however - I've bought other "restored" amps that needed additional work, which drove the price closer to $1k.

As others have said, unless you have inefficient speakers and/or a large room, I wouldn't worry about output power. In my 12x13 TV room, even the lower powered 299B and 222C had adequate power for my JBL880s (91dB), and the Klipsch (96dB) that replaced them.
 
The new vs used debate is a lively one, and worth follow for a while. I have lots of used ones and all have needed work, some quite easy. I have only one new amp and that required two repairs, one quite major.

I support the suggestion of a used restored amp from BT. You could begin with something quite modest to begin with to get a feel for what you like. Used gear pretty much retains its value.
 
Poultrygeist said:
I liked my Fisher 500 and 400 but there were issues with them as well as with every vintage tube amp I've owned. I also had an HH Scott, ST70 and Rotel/Martel FAX.

My Chinese amps OTOH have proven far more reliable and the build quality is some of the best I've seen.
Click to expand...

My 500C was restored by a pro ( not me ) and I've used it everyday for years with no problems. Love it.
 
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