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3 favorite tube amps

98.204.153.221

Posted on October 19, 2011 at 06:43:01
Kindablue
Audiophile

Posts: 1072
Joined: August 7, 2003
I would like to know your three favorite tube amps you have owned and enjoyed thru time.
Explain away if you like design, tone, first one owned whatever.
thanks,

 

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RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on October 19, 2011 at 08:19:30
Mossback
Audiophile

Posts: 1871
Location: Washington, the State
Joined: November 17, 2001
I like the Bottlehead SET amps and have owned some Wright Sound SET amps but was unable to find a speaker that sounds good with low power so moved on to PP.

Heathkit W5M rebuilt with a few simple mods great amp.

Eico HF-81. Sweet clean musical simple and to my eyes a beautiful retro design.

Big Duce via Jim McShane.

Most overlooked.... HK Citation V?

 

RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on October 19, 2011 at 10:32:27
Al Nico
Audiophile

Posts: 2094
Joined: December 27, 2003
Pilot SA-260. Sound and power

Dynaco ST-35 Sound and cute lol

Eico HF-81 cost and sound

Acrosound stereo 20 mono amp. I just want a second one so I can clean them up and find out. Nice little amp.

 

RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on October 19, 2011 at 10:55:15
Brian Levy
Audiophile

Posts: 2438
Location: Toronto
Joined: June 5, 2000
Power amps:
Marantz 9
Audio Research D76a
Quad IIs

Integrated amps:
Sherwood S5000II
Dynaco SCA-35
Scott 299

Preamp:
Audio Research SP-3A1
Marantz 7
McIntosh MX110

Each ranked in order of preference.
Don Brian Levy, J.D.
Toronto ON Canada

 

RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on October 19, 2011 at 11:14:10
briggs
Audiophile

Posts: 1674
Location: Connecticut
Joined: April 16, 2002
McIntosh MC225
EICO HF81
Heathkit UA2 slightly modified to work with McIntosh C8

In all cases it was about the music.

 

RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on October 19, 2011 at 12:00:18
audiobag
Audiophile

Posts: 68
Joined: March 12, 2001
Electronluv
John Hogan
McIntosh

 

Sorry, just 1 so far..., posted on October 19, 2011 at 12:17:38
Lee of Omaha
Dealer

Posts: 1800
Location: Omaha NE
Joined: September 8, 2006
Scott 299B. Even dead stock they're amazingly musical and cohesive. I've heard other well-respected amps but not in my system.

 

RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on October 19, 2011 at 13:00:56
bcguitar
Audiophile

Posts: 1328
Location: Maryland
Joined: March 2, 2005
Vintage;

VM 1448

Bell 6060

Fisher SA-16

 

RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on October 19, 2011 at 14:29:51
johnmil
Audiophile

Posts: 527
Location: Texas
Joined: December 21, 2002
Amps I own and listen to on regular basis.

1. Eico HF-87. Only 35 watt but that is enough. Sounds more "not there" than my Eico HF-89

2. Eico HF-89. 50 watts does NOT sound louder than 35.

3. Heath W-6m and 6a . New to me as I've recently found the second amp.
These amps will make close to 90 watts at 20 cps and sound fantastic.
Totally relaxed and unstrained. Very low distortion.

Amps I own and hardly ever listen to?

1. Dyna Mk 111. Will "clip" in a heartbeat yet produce 60 watts on my
test equipment.
2. Dyna Stereo 70 I've never warmed up to this amp but enjoy it more
than my Mk 111's

Probably goes with out saying I wish I had a good Citation 2.

Regards to all,

 

RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on October 19, 2011 at 15:56:43
Michael Samra
Dealer

Posts: 36118
Location: saginaw michigan
Joined: January 30, 2005
This is rough because I have so many..Choosing from my personal needs,I would go in this order.

The HK Citation 2 with Jim Mc'shanes upgrades and a couple of my own.These amps I run in a mono configuration but they can drive ESL from hell,and sound incredible doing so.These amps love to be put through difficult task,as they breeze thru with effortless finesse.

The Altec 1570s with the Tutay mods,are also wonderful as can be.These amps are 180 WATTS of triode power,but being that amp,I can use all that power from 50cps on up.

The Mac mc240 with the citation 2 kit of level one and level 2 of splitting the channels,make this amp marvelous.

I have many other amps that are about as good but I named two stereo amps and one mono,as thats why I am currently using.

"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong" H. L. Mencken

 

RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on October 19, 2011 at 20:48:39
hahax@verizon.net
Audiophile

Posts: 4277
Location: New Jersey
Joined: March 22, 2006
I've only owned a few tube amps but the two i valued most were:

1. Dyna Stereo 70 because it was my 1st, introduced me to real reproduction and is a true classic.

2. Melos Triode 200 was a monster amp with over 200 watts/channel of triode power with a damping factor of about 20 so it combined the advantages of triode tubes(the most linear topology) with the high power and control similar to solid state. I wish I still had it.

 

RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on October 20, 2011 at 01:54:53
les winter
Audiophile

Posts: 404
Location: Northern NJ
Joined: May 29, 2004
Dynaco Mk 3 and St70 w/ Joe Curcio's premium mods. I presently use 4 mk 3's fitted wth EL34's in a tri-amp arrangement with Altec 19 clones.

 

LEAK TL12.1s with mono pres. Radford STA15 (rebuilt with bigger PSU caps and SR SS rectifiers snubbed), posted on October 20, 2011 at 02:40:04
Timbo in Oz
Audiophile

Posts: 23221
Location: Canberra - in the ACT - SE Australia
Joined: January 30, 2002
The dear old 12.1s were truly gorgeous sounding but clipped fairly often. Since them I had and sold three sets of QUAD 22 and two IIs. All of them measured well, but were IMO quite disappointing, if quieter than the double mono LEAK combo.

I'm more than a bit of an iconoclast, and am not persuaded that '$$$$ / raved about by 'philes rolled on virgin's thighs' caps nor R's nor inductors matter a whole lot in a feedback amplifier. Good enough IS good enough.

Of course, MF plastic caps are better than NoS PIOs (and more, but they matter most in feedback circuits where commercial and then selected to 1% teflons or styros are worth the extra few $ and time, as are Holco-copper or Vishay bulk-foil R's.

IME raising the wattage of selected commercial circuit R's has a far higher musical Return On Investment (ROI) - lower distortion and more stable performance but for pennies not many dollars - once you are using MF's anyway, than any expensive R in most circuit roles can do. A mixture of brands IS worth-while. Yes, I don't 'get' carbon films, OR CCRs.

Another place where you can really hear good precise-value R's and caps is in phono stages, esp. passive RIAA types.

JBTW, IME&O and YMMV, this is one of the few places that 12AX7s make sense in modern valve audio.

BTA I do have two very sensitive power amps. ;-) Even after the mods the St20s still need SFA driving, OEM they needed just 125mv for 16w but it's more like 250-300mv now.

Nor am I much convinced by SET amps, or single drivers, or VHE spkrs as 'essentials' for getting truly beautiful sound. I am convinced that controlled dispersion/directivity is 'a good thing', as is efficiency above 90dbw/8 ohm, and small PP amps given all the help that SS can give from outside the signal circuits.

The ability to do justice to simply miked / 'real-stereo' recordings of acoustic instruments in real-time and real spaces, played by people interacting with each other, (and not with each other's mono 'tracks') is my reference point. Like everyone else I have to listen to a lot of these latter recordings and still enjoy them, but my heart and mind are still with real coherent music made in real spaces.

Once this is has been achieved to a standard where I a continuing acoustic singer since age 9, am able to suspend disbelief and fall into the performance, that is where I say good, got it. All changes have been directed at improving on results against that reference.

My latest faves are my current pair of rebuilt LEAK Stereo 20s, reviewed here at AA.

Both run in 'high A' AB1. Both have big bypassed PSU caps and 4 soft-recovery SS diodes snubbed anyway. NoS Aussie AWA/AWV 6CG7 splitter-driver in long-tail-pair LTP with a single FET as a CCS. The shared input valve is now a gold-pin Tfk 6DJ8.

The use of low-mu high gm valves and a FET CCS replacing the 3 12AX7s, has allowed a significant reduction in total NFB, while yet raising that of the NFB loop around the PP OPT stage a bit. S'nap ;-)!

One's in pentode (20Wpc RMS 20-20K) with a passive line-level 1st-order low-pass at about 8k into a 91dbw WR mid-bass driver -3db at 3.5khz. Easy flat 8-ohm load, with R & C for Z -rise EQ. Active drive for most of what happens.

The treble amp is in triode mode giving 6? watts pc driving a complex spkr-level crossover (3rd-order & Fs trap & FR Eq, padding) into large soft domes whose VC diam. matches the WR drivers VC. Flat 8-ohm load, 91db/w after 3dbw of padding R.

Very quiet once I went for 'horisontal bi-amping', and added a ground strap between both chassis' -ve spkr terminals.

Rear walls and side walls, slap echoes in halls, train, motorbike, and truck rumbles, entries, interplay, nuance. You are there listening on real stereo.

This combo plays much louder and cleaner than 45 watts of pure-A STAX SS (Japan) power, also rebuilt. It had a cloned 'STAX Reference' amp's driver stage - and better, cleverer 'protection.'

Far better bass slam, and far more bass detail! Better 3D, much nicer, and more detailed, very coherent! I'd bet the PSUs storage - in joules - is far higher in either amp than in the STAX.

The only SE valve amp I have heard - through the time and phase coherent Audiosphere M3s - used 13E1 regulator valves in UL ie WITH a teeny bit of NFB. ?18 watts pc, a truly useful amount of power. Couldn't play as LOUD, and lost the plot far earlier than that. Blameless and very real but not as breathtakingly convincing as the various SE Pass ZEN with FETs iterations I have heard, through the spheres.

Not as good as what I still have.



Warmest

Tim Bailey

Skeptical Measurer & Audio Scrounger


 

Hard to list just 3, but..., posted on October 20, 2011 at 04:40:33
DFaulds
Audiophile

Posts: 616
Location: Northeast Ohio
Joined: October 19, 2000
let's go with these.

Altec 340A's
Sherwood SA3600's
Fairchild 275's

 

RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on October 20, 2011 at 11:06:09
SteveBrown
Audiophile

Posts: 2454
Location: Portland, OR
Joined: November 14, 2002
Mine would

Bell 6060, a really cool and hip bit of 60's art, sounds great, too!
Leak Stereo 20 modified (less gain, some circuit changes, parts updates)
Scott 222C, got to love that gold look front plate and the vinyl playback is really nice to relax with.

 

RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on October 20, 2011 at 16:51:34
Bold Eagle
Audiophile

Posts: 6936
Location: America's Heartland
Joined: May 27, 2001
I has been a while, and there weren't that many to choose from; but in no particular order:
Dyna Mk II with GZ34 rectifier and somewhat larger caps, and a silicon bias rectifier.
Dyna Mk IV
McIntosh MC225

Jerry

 

RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on October 20, 2011 at 17:40:11
dls123
Dealer

Posts: 1214
Location: Beautiful B.C.
Joined: April 15, 2003
HK Citation II with all the McShane upgrades and some of my own. Nothing I have ever heard can touch it.

HK Citation V as above. The best "regular" tube amp I have heard.

Eico HF-81. Rebuilt and tweaked a bit by me. Simple and very musical. Not quite up there with the Citation V, but a great little amp.

 

RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on October 20, 2011 at 20:28:35
JimL
Audiophile

Posts: 3773
Location: New Mexico
Joined: November 24, 2002
In order of ownership from earlier to latest:

Berning EA-230
Miyabe VP-300BD - parallel single-ended 300B SET integrated amp
Rogue Atlas modified (equivalent to current Magnum) - using KT90 tubes

All listened to with Quad ESLs which are notoriously weird in their amp preferences.

 

RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on October 21, 2011 at 10:33:48
Tromatic
Audiophile

Posts: 2759
Location: Portland
Joined: July 27, 2000
ASL Wave-8. No reason other than I love them.

 

Another vote for the Berning EA-230, posted on October 21, 2011 at 15:29:33
whitese
Audiophile

Posts: 2000
Location: North Bergen, NJ
Joined: June 17, 2003
Contributor
  Since:
October 13, 2004
I also love the brute Berning EA2-150...
McIntosh Mc225
Pilot SA-264
Pilot SA-232
All I know is that I know nothing

 

what, no Maggies?, posted on October 21, 2011 at 18:45:58
sanman
Audiophile

Posts: 1780
Location: Redwood Coast
Joined: November 13, 2004
How about a little love for the modded (Spragues, fuses, etc.) 88-02?

they are sweet.
and inexpensive
"When the demon is at your door, in the mornin' it won't be there no more"
Steely Dan

 

RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on October 22, 2011 at 17:45:49
AJ
Audiophile

Posts: 532
Joined: February 24, 2001
Just 3 will be tough,

Marantz Model 2
Futterman H-3
McIntosh MC 225

Honorable mention to Quad II because I think it is just a great industrial design.

For new, I like the Wyetech Topaz 211, Berning Zh-270

All these have been played through Quad ESLs

 

3 way tie for first...Marantz 8B, Pilot 260, Mac 225, posted on October 22, 2011 at 17:59:17
audiogatorjim


 
Hon mention.....Pilot 232, Berning 230, HK Citation 2, Fisher SA 300

Best Integrated Tube Amp....Voice of Music 1448 (currently use)

All of these used with ESL's, mainly Quad 57's

 

RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on October 22, 2011 at 18:03:44
Neff


 
Sadly, all the common non-exotic vintage tube amps I owned did not impress even after upgrades. However, a lowly Magnavox SE 6BQ5 chassis amp sounded much better than the EICO, Dynaco & Fisher amps I owned. The Magnavox did have a Mullard EZ81, Sylvania 6BQ5 black plate per channel & a Brimar CV4004.

I think early on as a young child hearing Scott Philharmonic & Zenith triode amps in the radios even with the frequency limited electromagnet speakers did have an interesting sounding midrange.

Anyways, the above experience scared me away from more expensive Citation, McIntosh & others. I went with DIY amps long ago.

 

Nice amp the St20, posted on October 23, 2011 at 16:59:40
Timbo in Oz
Audiophile

Posts: 23221
Location: Canberra - in the ACT - SE Australia
Joined: January 30, 2002
Click on the URL.
Warmest

Tim Bailey

Skeptical Measurer & Audio Scrounger


 

RE: Nice amp the St20, posted on October 24, 2011 at 09:33:29
SteveBrown
Audiophile

Posts: 2454
Location: Portland, OR
Joined: November 14, 2002
Thanks, lots of info to digest!

 

RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on October 26, 2011 at 20:31:39
catama
Audiophile

Posts: 232
Location: Nor. Cal.
Joined: January 26, 2009
Onix SP-3
PrimaLuna Prologue One
Cayin A-88T
Scott 299B

 

RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on October 26, 2011 at 22:00:40
Mortsnets
Audiophile

Posts: 309
Location: SF East Bay
Joined: September 27, 2006
Musical Paradise MP-301 6v6 SE
low power, but good sounding and a great value, single source integrated, also a headphone amp

Don Allen Cakepan EL84 SE
another high value low powered amp

DIYTube ST-35
a bit more power for my not terribly efficient speakers

 

RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on October 30, 2011 at 08:46:19
rccc@wildblue.net
Audiophile

Posts: 309
Location: CA
Joined: February 17, 2008
McShane Cit II and Dan Steele's ST 70. Im still waiting for Dan to loan me his WM 6's but for now these beat anything Ive heard.

 

RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on February 13, 2017 at 10:55:15
jgkjgk@gmail.com
Audiophile

Posts: 9
Location: Chicago
Joined: January 20, 2011
Fisher SA-1000
Leak TL-12
Pilot SA-264

 

RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on February 14, 2017 at 09:21:22
Lman
Audiophile

Posts: 182
Location: KY
Joined: December 4, 2004
Citation II
MC225
Get Set Go

 

6 of my favorite 3 tube amps, posted on February 14, 2017 at 09:50:08
Bill Way
Audiophile

Posts: 1884
Location: Toms River NJ
Joined: May 28, 2012
Contributor
  Since:
December 14, 2012
Dyna/GSI Stereo 70, or
VTL Compact 100's
Breathtaking on the Sequerra Met 7 Mk II's. Set on very rigid stands in a very large room, they threw an enormous sound stage. The Dyna/GSI had the best mids/top, and the VTL's were punchy like crazy, with an astonishing bottom end.

Bottlehead Crack/Speedball
The best pre-Tannoy sound I've ever had when driving Senn 800's. With a Corda crossfeed circuit, listen to headphones all day.

Manley 120 monoblocks
Old-school: not the greatest bottom end, and a little soft up top, but a truly beguiling midrange in triode mode on Spica TC-50's with high-pass filter at about 80 Hz, crossed over to a powered sub.

Mac MC-75's on Infinity Servo-Statik 1's
The Doobie Brothers "Listen to the Music" on this combo (no lousy woofer, just the panels) even if you never listen to anything else. Used as nearfields - just sit on the floor a couple feet away.

Manley Snappers with Tannoy
These are still a revelation, every day, with every record I put on. Stare-em-down imaging, exquisite, realistic low-level detail, solid, fast bottom end (to mid-40's or so) dynamics and speed for days. This actually beats out the Crack/HD800 combo in every aspect. Wonderful at a whisper, frightening when loud. After forty years in this, I never expected gear to give me goosebumps, but this combo does, and does it often.

WW
"Put on your high heeled sneakers. Baby, we''re goin'' out tonight.

 

RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on February 14, 2017 at 09:51:53
mcgjohn@yahoo.com
Industry Professional

Posts: 501
Location: Midwest
Joined: February 5, 2008
Quite the list.

Mine would be:

1. VAC Auricle Mk2 with all copper caps
2. MC240 with all copper caps and Mills resistors on plate and cathode positions.
3. MC225 -
4. Early version of EICO HF30s - reworked. Very sweet sounding amp, especially with the Russian 7189 equivalents.

 

RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on February 14, 2017 at 13:39:38
6bq5
Audiophile

Posts: 4363
Location: SF Bay
Joined: August 16, 2001
AMPS:
McIntosh, MC-30
Heathkit, UA-1
Scott (integrated) 299D

Happy Listening

 

RE: 3 favorite tube amps, posted on February 14, 2017 at 13:56:39
BillH
Audiophile

Posts: 3913
Location: Baton Rouge
Joined: December 23, 1999
I will list in order of ownership:

Dynaco SCA35 (my first amp ever, built from a kit)
Dynaco ST70 (two of these at different times, both modded by Van Alstine)
A 2A3 jobbie whose brand name I can't recall. Heavy mother.

Always wanted a McIntosh MC240--maybe someday.

 

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