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Starter tube amp recommendation- simple, small, affordable?

TellMeWhy

TellMeWhy

Active Member
Hi everyone.
I have the chance to buy some very sensitive speakers (Wharfedale E70 / 94dB / 8 ohm) and fancy having a dabble in tube amp sound. I have never tried tubes before (old or new), but am pretty happy with my vintage solid state Marantz 2270 / Dynaco A25 set up...

I am wondering if there is such a thing as an affordable (under 400$), simple (i.e. just a single input power amp that I would feed from the 2270 preamp), small (I would only need 5 watts or so with these speakers in a small room) and reliable amp, ideally new rather than vintage, that could be "plug and play" in that set-up.

What do you think- are the Chinese models like Douk Audio / Nobsound, Gemtube etc any good at all?

Cheers for the tips!

Jon
 
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Jon,

diy may be your best bet , but if you can't do that a good kit unless you can find old amps or consoles to rebuild! For kits type build you might build a Triode Electronics or Dynakit Dynaco ST-35 if you diy the chassis to save $ and recommend Dave Gillespie's EFB mod. Elekit makes kits and used may make them affordable also. Both are probably in the $600 US range new.

The Dynaco is PP and 17W/CH and Elekit is usually SE with less power (around 6-10W/CH) though. You can read for days the pros and cons for each type of circuit, but it really comes down to your speakers as your dealing with small amps.
 
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No time for kits I’m afraid!! Also 400 would be at the top of my budget! Do I take it that the new Chinese cheapo makes sound like shite?
 
Maybe there are some good ones! Service will be a problem too! The Output Transformer(s) on a tube amp define the sonics on a tube amp so save your $
The ST-35 kit's can be bought assembled for sure or you could likely find an interested person to help you.
 
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Jon_Bawn said:
I am wondering if there is such a thing as an affordable (under 400$), simple (i.e. just a single input power amp that I would feed from the 2270 preamp), small (I would only need 5 watts or so with these speakers in a small room) and reliable amp, ideally new rather than vintage, that could be "plug and play" in that set-up.
Click to expand...

I see you mention "ideally new" however if you can find a rebuilt Magnavox they can be had for less then your budget. Your location says Berlin, is that Berlin Germany? if so I'm not sure what their availability would be in Europe.

To give you an idea of what I'm talking about here is one of several I've had in the past, and at about 10-12 watts per channel these could be right up your alley with regards to single input

DSCN9927.JPG
 
Spend the $25 to become a subscriber. Good quality, already gone-over low power vintage amps in your budget show up regularly.
 
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You pay $25 for membership (red banner under my name), get access to Barter Town, the buy/sell/swap section of the site. Lots of good stuff for sale there.

Assuming Berlin, Germany shipping may be an issue for some, but definitely worth a look. Post a "wtb (want to buy)" thread and see what other members have available.
 
I would need it same or better as a recapped Marantz 2270, so the vibe I’m picking up is for that kind of money better to not go with tubes!!!
 
Probably right , unless you can find a vintage one for a nice price and diy recap (new capacitors important on most for sonics and you risk any or all the transformers if they cause overheating or short suddenly) it etc. Caps are good for 20 and maybe 30 yrs!
 
You will get a lot of help from people on this site who are not trying to sell you something you don't need, just the opposite. People are not worried about sharing knowledge on this site at all. I have been to other sites that will never stack up to AudioKarma. Shipping to EU should not be a lot unless they charge you VAT for purchasing the item or other customs charges. Look at ebay to get an idea on US prices and.shipping costs. Don't ask people in the US to ship items as a gift if it is not. Find what you are comfortable with and try to gain knowledge about what you would like to purchase. There are a few threads here about the China stuff.
 
Small, simple and affordable are all easy.

Good quality, good sounding, reliable, and/or low-maintenance are not.

A Maggotbox (ahem, Magnavox) console amp in turnkey condition won't be particularly inexpensive, e.g.
Don't get me wrong, I like 'em, but I don't mind restoring them and doing the modifications to make them practical standalone amplifiers.
Not everyone wants to buy a hobby, though.
 
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