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In Reply to: RE: Then here are the bare bones criteria... posted by Dman on October 16, 2014 at 09:39:30
in contrast to their preamps which I've had good luck with over the past 30 years or so.
Another maker of reliable tube amps is VTL. They incorporate fuses on the B+ so if a tube goes supernova (had that happen before!), it doesn't ravage nearby components on the board. I'm going on 13 years with my 450s having replaced one coupling capacitor and am running the third set of tubes - albeit towards the end of their useful life.
An ST-85 would be in your budget and meet your minimal criteria. I find them exceptional music sounding.
Follow Ups:
I saw the results of a bad tube in an ARC VT100 which smoked and burned open a wide PCB trace on one of it's channels. It wasn't my ARC VT100mkII which was reliable but the thought of a bad tube smoking my amp was always in the back of my mind. I've had other amps that smoked a few cathode resistors but those were easy to replace with no damage to adjacent components or the PCB.
I'd rather just replace a fuse than invest the time to disassemble, identify, acquire and solder new resistors. :)
In my case, I'm employed as an Engineering Technician with an OEM/aftermarket Avionics company. As such, I repair/build/modify everything from gyro-based instrumentation to building test fixtures for emergency power back-up systems (batteries, annunciators, etc.). When I get home, the last thing I want to do (almost) is futz around with amp repairs when all I'm trying to do is just sit back, spend time with D-wife (who is usually VERY supportive of the arts, including actually LISTENING to music!), and relax.
I do mods and repairs to other people's amp on the side (mostly musicians, and not Hi-Fi) as well as search for that elusive "tone" from my bass guitar and its associated effects pedals, amps and speaker systems. But yes, when it comes to the end of the day, I just wanna sit back and listen!
Thanks for your input on things,
Dman
Analog Junkie
There is also a pair of VTL MB-100 monoblocks on Audiogon for 1300.00. And the ST-150 wouldn't be much above his price range.
Oz
Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you.
- Winston Churchill
I would not recommend the Class D Audio 254 unless you have a tube preamp. I bought one used for $180 for my son. It sounds great for the money but is a little harsh on the high frequencies. We fixed the issue by paring it with a cheap Grant Fidelity tube pre/dac using an NOS 1960 non-A frame Telefunken 6DJ8 tube which really smoothed the top end out and makes the 254 sing. A higher end tube pre like an old syrupy Conrad Johnson preamp would be a perfect match for the amp.
Give some thought to an AVA Synergy amp.
Preamp is a Flemming Audio Labs custom made pre- phono stage is 3 12AX7s, line stage is 6N1P and a 12AX7 as a cathode follower. Nice and full sounding with NO harshness whatsoever.
Guess I should have added that in the O/P... On the other hand, my system is in Inmate Systems...
Cheers,
Dman
Analog Junkie
I ran a double blind A/B/X test using a H-K Citation II (McShane mods) and a Forte 4a (Soderburg mods) in my listening room with the help of friends. Both amps were tested for THD, noise and IM and found to be within spec, that is to say, below 0.1% thd and IM at the listening levels employed, and noise was at least 90 dB down from listening level. Quad ESL-57's were used as the speaker, source was a Cambridge Audio DAC MAGIC playing FLAC files made from Red Book CDs.
Levels of the amps were matched within 0.1 dB at mid band for the test.
Several people could identify the amplifier that was playing 90% of the time.
This result would not be possible if "all amps sound the same."
nt
Dman
Analog Junkie
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