Please suggest a classic class A amp

[gregvet]

The idea is not to end up with a whole new system Paradiziac , merely to hear what the fuss is about. I've only just bought my spendors and love them, the last thing I want to do is end up having to buy some more speakers to go with the amp I was supposed to be selling on after a demo lol

You never know what you'll end up with when the bug bites you :read:

Seriously, enjoy your new speakers!

Thats just it, I know exactly where I will end up. Divorced!

I think it would be safe to say the bug bit some time ago anyway.

Seriously, I have bought a total of nine speakers in the last three years and we live in a one bedroom flat

I love them all, so won't be getting rid of any of them. No more until we move somewhere bigger! :cheers:

 

[CnoEvil]

Thanks Cno. I'm not sure I'm ready for valve amps yet tho. You'll have me in a pipe and slippers before I know it :rofl:

The idea is not to end up with a whole new system Paradiziac , merely to hear what the fuss is about. I've only just bought my spendors and love them, the last thing I want to do is end up having to buy some more speakers to go with the amp I was supposed to be selling on after a demo lol

I know this was said in jest, but it nicely represents the the mistaken view (by those that haven't heard them) that Valves give this over honeyed, unexciting presentation.....In fact, a good valve amp is the opposite of this, provided the speakers are a good match. If you get a chance, you should give one a listen.

I hope you find the sound you are after, and it seems to me that you are certainly looking in the right direction.

 

[gregvet]

Thanks Cno. I'm not sure I'm ready for valve amps yet tho. You'll have me in a pipe and slippers before I know it :rofl:

I know this was said in jest, but it nicely represents the the mistaken view (by those that haven't heard them) that Valves give this over honeyed, unexciting presentation.....In fact, a good valve amp is the opposite of this, provided the speakers are a good match. If you get a chance, you should give one a listen.

You are quite right, I have never heard a valve amp (good or bad), and I would love to. I nearly got one for my headphones a couple of years ago but ended up with the caiman instead.

One thing that has always put me off valves is the fact that the valves need replacing. Once I have my setup set up, I like to be able to forget about it. One thing I have never understood is whether the valves go pop (like a lightbulb), or gradually fail, and what is the average life expectancy for the valves themselves?

I suspect, for me, that class a may be enough. However I am more than happy to be proved wrong, just need the opportunity to occur.

When you say the speakers need to be a good match, is that just regarding sensitivity?

As an aside, no one has commented on Krell yet, good or bad. What's wrong with the KSA80s? It's a bigun!

 

[CnoEvil]

You are quite right, I have never heard a valve amp (good or bad), and I would love to. I nearly got one for my headphones a couple of years ago but ended up with the caiman instead.

One thing that has always put me off valves is the fact that the valves need replacing. Once I have my setup set up, I like to be able to forget about it. One thing I have never understood is whether the valves go pop (like a lightbulb), or gradually fail, and what is the average life expectancy for the valves themselves?

I suspect, for me, that class a may be enough. However I am more than happy to be proved wrong, just need the opportunity to occur.

When you say the speakers need to be a good match, is that just regarding sensitivity?

As an aside, no one has commented on Krell yet, good or bad. What's wrong with the KSA80s? It's a bigun!

I can't give you a definitive answer about how the valves behave, as I've never owned one.

I have a SS Class A amp which I love, but sometimes tubes give access to this type of sound more cheaply than SS can, especially when buying new.

Yes, when I talk about matching, I'm talking about speakers that are not only reasonably sensitive, but also have an impedance that doesn't drop too low.....this is especially important with low powered SET amps. Audio Note make very musical speakers at every price range, that do just this.