Switching from solid to tube amp

[nathandb]

Hi guys,

I currently own a pair of Tannoy DC6T speakers. I love them and they suit my music style very nicely. At the moment i'm using a pretty old amp from Sony (TA-FA5ES gold). I'm moving soon and was thinking to maybe look into buying a new amp because the sony has seen better days. I don't know a lot about tube amps but i hear good things and they very often look nicer than solid amps. I don't have a very big budget but i will spend 600euros or something to get a decent amp. All ideas welcome!

Thanks,

Nathan

 

[davedotco]

Hi guys,

I currently own a pair of Tannoy DC6T speakers. I love them and they suit my music style very nicely. At the moment i'm using a pretty old amp from Sony (TA-FA5ES gold). I'm moving soon and was thinking to maybe look into buying a new amp because the sony has seen better days. I don't know a lot about tube amps but i hear good things and they very often look nicer than solid amps. I don't have a very big budget but i will spend 600euros or something to get a decent amp. All ideas welcome!

Thanks,

Nathan

Sadly you budget is entirely inadequate for a new tube amplifier from an established munufacturer.

You may find something used depending on you local market or you could take a 'punt' on a chinese amp shipped direct.

Unless you have a good idea of what you are buying, both options are fraught with issues.

Buying in the UK, about £1500 will get you something decent new, or if you are prepared to be flexible, both Croft and Peachtree do rather nice hybrids around £800.

 

[Rethep]

Or second hand, like Audio Innovations!

 

[CnoEvil]

The best "cheap" Valve Amp that I'm aware of is the Pure Sound A10 (£680). As the guys have said, I wouldn't go much cheaper.......though second hand it will come in on budget.

It would probably cope with the DC6Ts at moderate volumes......they should sound very well together.

 

[Al ears]

Unfortunately davedotco is correct and you will not be able to get a 'good' valve amplifier for your budget without going second-hand and this is an area you do not really want to be going unless you seriously know what you are doing.

Valve amps are also expensive to maintain, compared to solid-state, replacement tube prices vary greatly but over the years you will have to replace them.

We can only advise I guess but for that budget I would be looking to get the best solid state amp I could find.

 

[Al ears]

The best "cheap" Valve Amp that I'm aware of is the Pure Sound A10 (£680). As the guys have said, I wouldn't go much cheaper.......though second hand it will come in on budget.

It would probably cope with the DC6Ts at moderate volumes......they should sound very well together.

I'd agreee with the A10 but that is still £200 above his budget new. I would not recommend the secondhand route really, he might get lucky, but could be risky.

 

[CnoEvil]

I would not recommend the secondhand route really, he might get lucky, but could be risky.

.....unless from a reputable dealer.

 

[Overdose]

Unless there is something wrong with your amp, it would be better to keep it. It's a very capable amp and it would be a very expensive excercise to replace it with new of the same quality.

A better return for your money would be to swap the speakers for better units. Maybe some PMCs?

 

[Covenanter]

I do wonder if the OP is persuing this idea for a sound reason. There's nothing wrong with valve amps and their fans certainly like them but I wonder if most people could hear any difference between valve and SS. There are loads of SS amps at this price point and many of them are very good. If you just want to listen to music then I would stay SS. If on the other hand you want to pursue valves out of interest then the advice given by others here is good.

Chris

 

[CnoEvil]

I do wonder if the OP is persuing this idea for a sound reason. There's nothing wrong with valve amps and their fans certainly like them but I wonder if most people could hear any difference between valve and SS. There are loads of SS amps at this price point and many of them are very good. If you just want to listen to music then I would stay SS. If on the other hand you want to pursue valves out of interest then the advice given by others here is good.

Chris

The only way to find out the differences is to get out there and listen, which is why I encourage people to try different approaches.....everything sounds the same from behind the keyboard of a Laptop!

I think valves have a certain quality that is very appealing, with different Valves producing different tonal qualities.....but IME they almost never sound like a SS amp; though (just like SS), there are good and bad examples.

Good on the OP for being adventurous enough to try something different.

IMO. If everyone tried a good valve amp as part of the demo process, there would be a lot less SS amps sold....if you don't believe me, try an Icon Audio Stereo 40 if you get the chance. *diablo*

 

[davedotco]

The best "cheap" Valve Amp that I'm aware of is the Pure Sound A10 (£680). As the guys have said, I wouldn't go much cheaper.......though second hand it will come in on budget.

It would probably cope with the DC6Ts at moderate volumes......they should sound very well together.

I'd agreee with the A10 but that is still £200 above his budget new. I would not recommend the secondhand route really, he might get lucky, but could be risky.

Read about this on another forum.

The A10 is a very pretty little amplifier but it is pretty low powered and high distortion. The 10 watt rating is highly optimistic and bandwidth is limited, it is reputably very picky about speaker matching.

That said, in the right setup it can sound very nice indeed, and a fair few people confirm that. All hearsay of course, I'll have a look later and see if I can find the discussion.

 

[lindsayt]

nathandb, my suggestion is that you do an ebay search in your country and all the countries you can conveniently travel to for valve amplifiers at your budget and below. Do some google research on the ones that look most interesting and buy whatever seems best to you, expecially if it's at a price where you are confident that you could sell it on at a modest profit if you decided you didn't like it more than your existing amp.

 

[Al ears]

I do wonder if the OP is persuing this idea for a sound reason. There's nothing wrong with valve amps and their fans certainly like them but I wonder if most people could hear any difference between valve and SS. There are loads of SS amps at this price point and many of them are very good. If you just want to listen to music then I would stay SS. If on the other hand you want to pursue valves out of interest then the advice given by others here is good.

Chris

The only way to find out the differences is to get out there and listen, which is why I encourage people to try different approaches.....everything sounds the same from behind the keyboard of a Laptop!

I think valves have a certain quality that is very appealing, with different Valves producing different tonal qualities.....but IME they almost never sound like a SS amp; though (just like SS), there are good and bad examples.

Good on the OP for being adventurous enough to try something different.

IMO. If everyone tried a good valve amp as part of the demo process, there would be a lot less SS amps sold....if you don't believe me, try an Icon Audio Stereo 40 if you get the chance. *diablo*

Whilst I concur with your post the first line highlights the problem. Even in the UK it is extremely hard to get to actually audition a solid-state amp that isn't one of the mainstream variety. Getting to audition a valve amplifier is nigh on impossible for most people without travelling a great distance. With fuel costs of today this just isn't going to happen. That's just the UK, other countries may present even nore difficulties. Not too sure where the OP is in the world but ruddy good luck to him in trying to audition valve amps, especially ones within his budget.

 

[plastic penguin]

I do wonder if the OP is persuing this idea for a sound reason. There's nothing wrong with valve amps and their fans certainly like them but I wonder if most people could hear any difference between valve and SS. There are loads of SS amps at this price point and many of them are very good. If you just want to listen to music then I would stay SS. If on the other hand you want to pursue valves out of interest then the advice given by others here is good.

Chris

The only way to find out the differences is to get out there and listen, which is why I encourage people to try different approaches.....everything sounds the same from behind the keyboard of a Laptop!

I think valves have a certain quality that is very appealing, with different Valves producing different tonal qualities.....but IME they almost never sound like a SS amp; though (just like SS), there are good and bad examples.

Good on the OP for being adventurous enough to try something different.

IMO. If everyone tried a good valve amp as part of the demo process, there would be a lot less SS amps sold....if you don't believe me, try an Icon Audio Stereo 40 if you get the chance. *diablo*

Whilst I concur with your post the first line highlights the problem. Even in the UK it is extremely hard to get to actually audition a solid-state amp that isn't one of the mainstream variety. Getting to audition a valve amplifier is nigh on impossible for most people without travelling a great distance. With fuel costs of today this just isn't going to happen. That's just the UK, other countries may present even nore difficulties. Not too sure where the OP is in the world but ruddy good luck to him in trying to audition valve amps, especially ones within his budget.

Bang on. That is the issue I have with most 'hard to get hold of' amps. For example the Icon I was going to audition is the other side of London, and on a good day it's a 4-hour round trip, even though mileage isn't enormous.

I would love to other (less ready available) makes, and many you have to ask the dealer nicely to send a dem version, but that has its own pitfalls.

The advice I would give to the OP is to try and track a valve amp from a private seller just to see whether he likes the sound... then if he does he can persue it further.

Tricky when you're on such a tight budget.

 

[CnoEvil]

Whilst I concur with your post the first line highlights the problem. Even in the UK it is extremely hard to get to actually audition a solid-state amp that isn't one of the mainstream variety. Getting to audition a valve amplifier is nigh on impossible for most people without travelling a great distance. With fuel costs of today this just isn't going to happen. That's just the UK, other countries may present even nore difficulties. Not too sure where the OP is in the world but ruddy good luck to him in trying to audition valve amps, especially ones within his budget.

If you don't want to venture further than your nearest highstreet, then it's certainly a problem. If you do your research, there is usually somewhere that you can go and make a day of it, in order to hear some less mainstream stuff.

My nearest dealer is over an hours drive away, the other is nearly 2 hours away.....and if there was a bit of kit that required a trip to Dublin (3.5 hrs), then that is what I would do....it's well worth the investment, if it produces a system that gives years of pleasure.

I can almost guarantee you that it doesn't occur to most people to even look, as they are not aware of the products in the first place (or they just want to follow the crowd).

 

[Covenanter]

If you are enterprising you could make up a valve amplifier kit. Valve circuits are very simple and a have a small number of components. You would need to have some practice at soldering if you have never done it before but actually it is very easy. You should get very good value for money doing it this way.

Chris

 

[Rethep]

To me i think that because you are satisfied with your old amp, you are not really interested in a tube-amp because of it's sound but more because you want something else, or something better looking which is not a bad reaoson at all. But a tube-amp is a real other sound. More of a 'listen-' than a 'rock and roll-amp'.

You would for sure be disappointed in it's dynamics or bass-slam, and maybe also convinced by the fluid sound. But to find out: have a listen. It is never to late to be converted to tubes ;-)

 

[Rethep]

I built my 1st tube-amp from a kit. It was the 'Audio Innovations Classic 25', which was a very cosy sounding amp that outplayed any ss-amp i heard in my home. (Audiolab, Arcam, Cyrus, Harman Kardon, even AMC 3030), and for the 1st time let me hear real depth in the soundstage!

 

[plastic penguin]

Whilst I concur with your post the first line highlights the problem. Even in the UK it is extremely hard to get to actually audition a solid-state amp that isn't one of the mainstream variety. Getting to audition a valve amplifier is nigh on impossible for most people without travelling a great distance. With fuel costs of today this just isn't going to happen. That's just the UK, other countries may present even nore difficulties. Not too sure where the OP is in the world but ruddy good luck to him in trying to audition valve amps, especially ones within his budget.

If you don't want to venture further than your nearest highstreet, then it's certainly a problem. If you do your research, there is usually somewhere that you can go and make a day of it, in order to hear some less mainstream stuff.

My nearest dealer is over an hours drive away, the other is nearly 2 hours away.....and if there was a bit of kit that required a trip to Dublin (3.5 hrs), then that is what I would do....it's well worth the investment, if it produces a system that gives years of pleasure.

I can almost guarantee you that it doesn't occur to most people to even look, as they are not aware of the products in the first place (or they just want to follow the crowd).

This is the weird thing. One would think that London and the SE would have a riches of valve amp and Class A dealers, but the truth is it doesn't. I can only guess that this area is made up chains, such as SS&V, Audio-T and Richer Sounds. Even our independent dealers don't even mention valve amp, although there are 1 or 2 Class A dealers (MF mainly).

As regards travelling, with my home and work commitments, just isn't practical for me to have a day out at a dealers. Even for Totem, apart from a couple of selected couple of outlets, (one in SW London and the other down near Basingstoke in Hampshire).

 

[CnoEvil]

As regards travelling, with my home and work commitments, just isn't practical for me to have a day out at a dealers. Even for Totem, apart from a couple of selected couple of outlets, (one in SW London and the other down near Basingstoke in Hampshire).

PP, I'm aware of your situation making it more difficult......I was really talking in general, where you have to be a real enthusiast to give it the necessary priorty, as there are so many other things competing for one's time these days.

Generally I find people make the time to do things that are important to them....and listening to the rarer breeds of the hifi world just doesn't make it to the top of their list........unless of course, I (and others) can convince them otherwise! *biggrin*

 

[nathandb]

Wow, i must say i never expected so much response! Thanks everyone, i'll try to answer most questions and narrow what i'm looking for.

I live in Belgium and i've never as much as seen a valve amp around here. I would probably buy from the UK. Maybe also not unimportant is the genre of music i listen to. Most often i find myself listening to either classic rap/hiphop. Some alternative electro or rock. I like a solid bass but not overpowered. That said, the reason i'm looking into tubes is partially to have something different and i also love the designs. I'm well aware the Sony i currently own was a pretty good amp in his day and my father told me it was not inexpensive. I'm a young guy (20yrs) but i never think of money wasted when i spend it on music and i rather buy something more expensive that i can take care of and keep for another 10-15 yrs. So if it's worth it i'm willing to spend more but not double my original budget. Suggestions on very good solid amps worth my money are more than welcome!

thanks guys

 

[DocG]

Oh hi Nathan,

Whereabouts in Belgium do you live? Believe me, there's plenty of good dealers in our country -- and some you should avoid too, btw.

When I started my hunt (a couple of years ago), I thought Belgium was the hifi-desert... But believe me, it is not! I can give you some places to start, if you're interested.

Having said that, I don't think tubes and hip-hop are a match made in heaven... But that's just my opinion of course.

 

[CnoEvil]

Wow, i must say i never expected so much response! Thanks everyone, i'll try to answer most questions and narrow what i'm looking for.

I live in Belgium and i've never as much as seen a valve amp around here. I would probably buy from the UK. Maybe also not unimportant is the genre of music i listen to. Most often i find myself listening to either classic rap/hiphop. Some alternative electro or rock. I like a solid bass but not overpowered. That said, the reason i'm looking into tubes is partially to have something different and i also love the designs. I'm well aware the Sony i currently own was a pretty good amp in his day and my father told me it was not inexpensive. I'm a young guy (20yrs) but i never think of money wasted when i spend it on music and i rather buy something more expensive that i can take care of and keep for another 10-15 yrs. So if it's worth it i'm willing to spend more but not double my original budget. Suggestions on very good solid amps worth my money are more than welcome!

thanks guys

Given your choice of music, I'm not sure that a valve amp is the way to go. If I was you, I'd wait until you have a budget big enough to get a good improvement over the Sony.....don't just change for the sake of it.

While you are gathering funds, do as much demoing and reading as possible....and to start with, here is the adventures of Acalex, who was from Brussels and ended up with a Jadis Valve amp: http://www.whathifi.com/forum/hi-fi/new-amplifier-my-long-journey

 

[nathandb]

I'm from Ghent in East-Flanders! First and foremost the amp should match my music style (and speakers). If solid is the way for me, so be it. I'm just a sucker for the looks and heard good things about the sound. I also like to listen to vinyl records not that i'm a purised (although the sound is a bit warmer than digital) but I also enjoy the design of my record player (pro-ject debut carbon) and the whole process associated with listening to records. Like i said. If anyone can point me in the direction of a very good solid state on my budget, i would be more than happy to check it out!

 

[CnoEvil]

I'm from Ghent in East-Flanders! First and foremost the amp should match my music style (and speakers). If solid is the way for me, so be it. I'm just a sucker for the looks and heard good things about the sound. I also like to listen to vinyl records not that i'm a purised (although the sound is a bit warmer than digital) but I also enjoy the design of my record player (pro-ject debut carbon) and the whole process associated with listening to records. Like i said. If anyone can point me in the direction of a very good solid state on my budget, i would be more than happy to check it out!

The trouble is, you have a good amp and imo you need to wait till you have a bigger budget to play with.....then try different alternatives, including Valves. Nobody on here can say with certainty what you will ultimately like.

You might consider getting your amp serviced.