Any tube heads here?

Try this integrated / hybrid amp once you have the chance:

(It sounds even better with E80CC tubes, picture is with 12AU7)
http://www.absolare.com/integratedAmplifier.html

Cheers
NOA

1 Like

Hey Christoph, thatā€™s a nice (and impressive) set of tube gear. Are you running all of these in different systems, or are you rotating gear? What speakers do you use?

Iā€™m very old school (and very old), so my tube gear is ancient, although modded and upgraded to modern standards of quietude.

Tube amps:

  • a pair of (circa 1962) Harmon Kardon Citation-II amps run as monoblocks (120wpc) with Mcshane mods and upgraded parts (10 tubes each)
  • an (1959) Eico HF-81 EL-84 integrated amp (slightly modded for reduced noise)
  • a (1968) Dynaco ST-70 with Welborne/Kimmel driver board and modded power supply+transformer running KT-77 output tubes
  • a pair of (1960-ish) McIntosh MC-30 monaural amps
  • a (late 1950ā€™s) Pilot SA-260 power amp running EL-34 Mullards

Tube Preamps:

  • First Sounds Living Presence line stage
  • Aesthetix Rhea (Signature) phono stage (10 tubes!)

Tube Headphone amp:

  • Mapletree Audio HD+ Super

Tube Source:

  • Logitech/Modwright Transporter with tube output stage + tube regulation

I also have a bunch of non-tube gear collected over more than 50 years in this hobby, but you didnā€™t ask about that.

Happy New Year!

Frank

1 Like

The clicking is immanent with relay-stepped attenuators. Nothing you can do about that.
My big Silvaweld Preamp does this as well and I even like the clicking sound.
It reminds me every time I use it, how good the volume control in the Silvie is :wink:

1 Like

Two contestants you should give a listen to as possible next Preamps for you:

  • KR Audio P135
  • Aries Cerat Incito

Both VERY good sounding and very good bang for the buck, almost affordable :grinning:

1 Like

@Jeff_Botts and @Krutsch, I found these dampers to be very good at taming microphonic tubes. They donā€™t interfere with convective cooling either.

1 Like

Hi Frank

Your collection is also very impressive but more diverse. My tube(only) amps are all SETs

I run them in different systems and rotate them.
My speakers you can see here: Forum poll. Do you have active, passive or full range loudspeakers? What do you like about them?

Again, good taste on your part. I love your choices!

I also move between planar speakers and horns/hi-eff. Iā€™m in the middle of a move, so everything is in storage, but usually I have Magneplanars (had Acoustats & KLH-9ā€™s in the past) and just lately Audiokinesis Prisma speakers paired with OTL Atma-Sphere M60 amps, forgot to mention these in my tube list.

But Now Iā€™m reduced to headphones and bookshelf/desktop speakers until the move is done.

1 Like

Iā€™ve got a BAT VK3i and a pair if Rogue Audio Magnum M-120s. The Rogues are especially good in below zero weatheršŸ˜“

2 Likes

@Christoph I will definitely give KR and Aries. Now I just have to find a dealer here in the USAā€¦

Hi Jeff

No Problem :wink:

Kr Audio P135 (with huge KR45 Output tubes :muscle: ): http://www.kraudio.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8&Itemid=9&lang=en
You have to scroll almost all the way down

Aries Cerat Incito: http://aries-cerat.eu/about-us/distributors

I prefer push pull tube amps.

Here is a great preamp that actually is almost affordable:

http://www.dsachsconsulting.com/custom%20line%20stage.html

1 Like

Hi Scott

Is there particular reason why you prefer PP over SET?
What is your preferred music genre?

Thank you for the preamp recommendation.

That is certainly a nice sounding combo, though I never heard it myself.
But from what I read about those pieces of gear, you should have a lot of fun with them.
My tube gear, especially the KR SETs and my big Silvaweld Preamp heat up a LOT

I probably should not have commented as I have not heard that many different tube amps. Of those that I have heard, I seem to like the sound of the push pull amps better than the SET amps.

I listen to Classical Rock, Classical, and Jazz.

Thatā€™s why I choose for tubes in the pre amp only.
You should consider a winter set (no pun intended) and a solid state summer set.
And I donā€™t mean the like of a Pass Aleph (which is the winter category as well :slightly_smiling_face:).

I have a McIntosh MC275 MKV, which is surprisingly powerful for a tube amp (more than enough to drive my B&W 803Ds).

My amp has a line out/line in and I was thinking of adding a tube stage. Any suggestions?

My main system is biamped with one MacIntosh MC275 and two MC75. In the bedroom I have two very old MC40ā€™s, but Iā€™ll decommission them in Spring because of the heat they develop. They sound wonderfull though.

In the kitchen I used vintage Audio Research tube kit, but I switched to the modern Devialet stuff because most days itā€™s playing over 12 hours, and itā€™s hard to justify the huge amount of electricity they burn.

Further on Iā€™ve got some vintage Quad IIā€™s and a Dynaco. They where in perfect working order when I put them in storage. I canā€™t get to the point of selling them. Anyway, they keep on getting more expensive, so itā€™s a good investment :wink:

Steven

1 Like

If you want to try it out for cheap: the ā‚¬100 Musical Fidelity X10 line buffer.

If you want to try it out for a lot cheaper: a ā‚¬10 DIY kit, eg http://www.benl.ebay.be/itm/6J1-Pre-amp-Tube-Preamplifier-Amplifier-Stereo-AC12V-DIY-Kit/162806396833?hash=item25e80477a1:g:gJIAAOSw6VRaNEMv.

In both cases youā€™ll want to change the tubes for better ones.

Steven

Any particular preferences and likings to the following tubes? Please add yours if not listed here.

Power tubes:
6550
KT88
EL34
300B
845
2A3

Small signal preamp tubes:
6922/E88CC
12AX7/ECC83
12AU7/ECC82
12AT7/ECC81
6SN7

Tube rectifiers:
5U4GT
GZ34/5AR4