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Should I buy this tube amp???

campbemj

campbemj

Active Member
Ok, so I am looking at getting into the world of Tube Audio. I have been looking for awhile, but cant find a cheap tube amp (I know that is hard.)

On craigslist, I am looking at a Knight KN 724 tube amplifier. It is in good shape, they claim to have tested all the tubes and replaced bad ones. It was powered up slowly using a variac. They are asking $225, I will be talking them down.

Is this a good tube amp? Anyone have one? Whats a fair price? Thanks!


(or have one to sell me? ha ha)
 
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It's an EL84 push-pull amp, you will probably get around 14 watts / channel with it. It's probably a very nice amp since EL84 power tubes are considered to be some of the sweetest ones out there.

It's probably worth $200 if it's in working condition. Keep in mind that you may need to replace some capacitors in order to keep it going, as capacitors deteriorate over time.

Here's one on eBay with an asking price of $400.

/noaf

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Knight-724A-724-A-Stereo-EL84-6BQ5-Tube-Int-Amplifier-/380431082620
 
Without a recap I wouldn't go much above $120, maybe $150 if tube gear is rare in your area.
 
If you become an AK subscriber, you will have access to the Barter Town forum. There are often good deals on tube amps there...there is a Heathkit and a couple of others available right now that are worth considering.
 
Mingo said:
If you become an AK subscriber, you will have access to the Barter Town forum. There are often good deals on tube amps there...there is a Heathkit and a couple of others available right now that are worth considering.
Click to expand...

+1. Barter Town is awesome. IMO, there is better communication and a much more supportive atmosphere for buyers and sellers than CL or Ebay.
 
RossW said:
Without a recap I wouldn't go much above $120, maybe $150 if tube gear is rare in your area.
Click to expand...

I'm with ross, these units with stock parts, especially caps will need a refresh, so factor in time and either your labour or someone else's to get them up to spec.
I've slowly learned not to get a boner for everything that comes up, some people are willing to negotiate if they understand the facts stated above, if he's not willing to lower the price based on that fact then pass, barter town will bring better deals. There's a motorola el84 on there going for cheap, good start to get your hands dirty and it's a 2 channel stereo model to boot. Membership has it's privileges!
 
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I concur. I saw the motorola amp last night, but it was too rich for my blood as I already have a pair of monoblocks.

It looks like a good amp. I know there was some discussion about Motorola going downhill when stereo came out, but that's an *early* stereo amp (1959, my mono motos came out in 57).

Motorola made some very nice sounding gear though, no doubt about that. Even some of their crazy stuff, like the 3 channel amp, supposedly sound good (haven't hard one).
 
Tubes are kind of rare around here. It is the cheapest tube amp I have seen around here. I may try for $150 and see how that goes.

Im trying to do this on the very cheap, lookin to spend under $200. Recent college graduate/waiter doesnt pay much!
 
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