Al ears
Well-known member
I can agree completely with Ocean37's comments on modern valve amps and their ability to drive 'real-world' speakers, but only if they are specifically well enough designed to do so.
I'm off to look at, and probably purchase, a Tom Evans Linear A power amp soon to complete my system.
It only produces 20 watts but I have been assured it will have no trouble at all driving my 88dB / 6ohm speakers to surprising levels! This is because its a pretty unique design being a single-ended, Class A, ultralinear device. It has four single-ended EL84s per side are linked in parallel to create a composite tube.
I don't think I'm going to be disappointed.
I'm off to look at, and probably purchase, a Tom Evans Linear A power amp soon to complete my system.
It only produces 20 watts but I have been assured it will have no trouble at all driving my 88dB / 6ohm speakers to surprising levels! This is because its a pretty unique design being a single-ended, Class A, ultralinear device. It has four single-ended EL84s per side are linked in parallel to create a composite tube.
I don't think I'm going to be disappointed.
Covenanter
Well-known member
You can talk forever about this but the only real test is to do a blind test. If you can hear a difference then buy what you think is best.
Chris
Chris
Covenanter said:
True - by the same token, you can blind test one or two different makes of valve or class A amps and still not come up with a definitive conclusion. So to start the ball rolling, and to try and gauge the pros and cons of both valve an solid state amps, this is as good a place as any...
I agree, the next step is to see whether a 'valve' sound appeals.
Roby
Well-known member
http://www.benl.ebay.be/itm/SUGDEN-A21a-CLASS-A-AMPLI-HIGHEND-2-X-25-WATT-PHONO-INCLUS-VINYL-/370627459855?pt=FR_Image_son_Autres&hash=item564b1e3b0f
But all this make me want to hear the MF primo pre it's a tube prre an I expect it to be great so meybe I shouldn't :twisted:
But all this make me want to hear the MF primo pre it's a tube prre an I expect it to be great so meybe I shouldn't :twisted:
Roby
Well-known member
vintage ;-)
http://www.benl.ebay.be/itm/J-E-SUGDEN-A21-PURE-CLASS-A-AMPLIFIER-/320951560885?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Amplifiers&hash=item4aba342ab5
http://www.benl.ebay.be/itm/J-E-SUGDEN-A21-PURE-CLASS-A-AMPLIFIER-/320951560885?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Amplifiers&hash=item4aba342ab5
Roby said:
Ooooh dear. Looks like something my gran had. Stick a doily and a wood-cased clock on top and it could well be...
If you like vocals, smooth and analogue sound go for valves. In the good old days I assembled a number of valve amplifiers with very good results. They are relatively easy to DIY and you can obtain excellent results easily. What you need is high grade components such as tubes, transformers etc. The circuit for valve amplifier is normally quite simple and not like SS amplifiers using lots of ICs, opamps and surface mount components.
chebby
Well-known member
plastic penguin said:Ooooh dear. Looks like something my gran had. Stick a doily and a wood-cased clock on top and it could well be...Roby said:
They have been in production for 44 years PP. Here is the current model....
...but I suppose you will still file Sugden A21 under 'grandmother' and 'doily' in your mind (and your advice) forevermore because Sugden didn't style their new amp for 21st century tastes when it first got made in 1968.
chebby said:plastic penguin said:Ooooh dear. Looks like something my gran had. Stick a doily and a wood-cased clock on top and it could well be...Roby said:
They have been in production for 44 years PP. Here is the current model....
...but I suppose you will still file Sugden A21 under 'grandmother' and 'doily' in your mind (and your advice) forevermore because Sugden didn't style their new amp for 21st century tastes when it first got made in 1968.
Eeezeeee... just commenting on Roby's link. Reminded me of a small sideboard, and not reference to all Sugdens.
chebby
Well-known member
plastic penguin said:
...like the Leema Pulse looks like an old game console...
... I don't care what version you have. I've seen a picture and thus my mind is made up ;-)
chebby said:plastic penguin said:
...like the Leema Pulse looks like an old game console...
... I don't care what version you have. I've seen a picture and thus my mind is made up ;-)
Fair enough - yep looks like a big digibox. Orrible. Can't tar every product with the same brush though. Or can you?
plastic penguin said:chebby said:plastic penguin said:
...like the Leema Pulse looks like an old game console...
... I don't care what version you have. I've seen a picture and thus my mind is made up ;-)
Fair enough - yep looks like a big digibox. Orrible. Can't tar every product with the same brush though. Or can you?
That is why for whatever reason go for the old version MKII :shifty:
http://listeninn.com/Website/Used-Integrated-Amplifier/Leema-Acoustic-Pulse-2.htm
Inter_Voice said:plastic penguin said:chebby said:plastic penguin said:
...like the Leema Pulse looks like an old game console...
... I don't care what version you have. I've seen a picture and thus my mind is made up ;-)
Fair enough - yep looks like a big digibox. Orrible. Can't tar every product with the same brush though. Or can you?
That is why for whatever reason go for the old version MKII :shifty:
http://listeninn.com/Website/Used-Integrated-Amplifier/Leema-Acoustic-Pulse-2.htm
I've seen the MKIII for as low as £499. Still wouldn't change for my MKII version, unless I had a big sideboard to hide it in.
chebby
Well-known member
chebby said:So you wouldn't want this class A beauty then?...
Chunky. Yes, I would go with that. If the sound isn't up to scratch I could use it as a 'Naughty Step' if little'un plays up. Or I could stick myself on it if I bought a valve amp in place of the Leema.
edplaysdrums42
Well-known member
plastic penguin said:chebby said:So you wouldn't want this class A beauty then?...
Chunky. Yes, I would go with that. If the sound isn't up to scratch I could use it as a 'Naughty Step' if little'un plays up. Or I could stick myself on it if I bought a valve amp in place of the Leema.
Now you're talking! thats Luxman's SQ-38u tube integrated amp, if i could afford it thats probably what i would upgrade to. I've really liked most of the tube amps i've heard, i'm very happy with my Luxman though, pure class A. Its only 20w pc but has loads of grunt. I've never get past the 10 to mark on the volume knob anyway.
I had an ATC SIA2-150 before and is a superb amp but the Luxman Harbeth combo suits me down to the ground, smooth, very easy to listen too, musical and fantastic at lower levels.
As far as phono stages go nothing beats tubes IMO. I'm saving up for a Croft as we speak!
Cheers, Ed
When I was young I remembered that Mclntosh were propular tube amps. It seems not too many around nowadays :?
http://pic6.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/image?preatube&1324966552&pic&class&i/c/f/1319782371.jpg&Mcintosh-C500-T
http://pic6.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/image?preatube&1324966552&pic&class&i/c/f/1319782371.jpg&Mcintosh-C500-T
iceman16
Well-known member
iceman16 said:
It depends on the tube amp and how you like your Rock to sound.....but generally speaking Rock and any bass driven music isn't their forte.
IMO. Roby's assessment of the difference is fair ie. A good SS Class A amp gets closer to the strengths of Valves, than Valves get to the strengths of a SS Class A amp. There can be exceptions though, but in the case of Valves, it can get expensive (as mentioned by Electro)
Rethep
Well-known member
Valves have a strenght of their own, never to be copied by any ss-amp, class a or not. I think it doesn't even come close. Valves produce music, ss produce sound. But then again: i'm a valve-fan.
Valves will never produce ss-amp bass. But many can make forget about that! The other way around, ss-sound can not make forget valves (to me).
Valves will never produce ss-amp bass. But many can make forget about that! The other way around, ss-sound can not make forget valves (to me).
Rethep said:
Hi Rethep
Which SS Class A amps have you heard.....please don't take this as a challange to your view, which as you can see, I agree with...It's just that I'm genuinly interested, so I can get a feel for your various comparisons.
IMO A carefully chosen true Class A SS amp, can give a good compromise between the strengths of both....but even though it will never match Tubes (as you've said), I think it can come reasonably close. They certainly give more body to the sound, and can get closer to that silky subtleness and sense of space and drama, that you get with a good Valve amp.
Some amps labelled Class A are really "high biassed current" designs, like the SA range from Plinius.
Not sure I'm convincing you though....but it was worth a shot!
Cno
CnoEvil said:
Yeah and if you shut your eyes and listen closely ' it sounds just like a Golf '.
Sorry Cno, just couldnt resist. Coming close is pointless.
floyd droid said:Yeah and if you shut your eyes and listen closely ' it sounds just like a Golf '.
Sorry Cno, just couldnt resist. Coming close is pointless.
I wondered where you'd been hiding!
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