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In Reply to: RE: Really nice gear Mick... posted by Vinyl Valet on June 27, 2015 at 08:46:54
Thx for the compliment. As far as the 254 (stock) vs.the Latino ST 70.....if I could only take one to the "desert island", it would be the ST 70. That said, the 254 is half the price and the convenience factor for everyday listening is off the charts. The tube warmth and more organic qualities of the ST 70 win the day over time, but the differences certainly aren't night and day. BTW, I did own the ST 120 a few years back and it's a wonderful amp as well.
Follow Ups:
Well, I think you pushed me over the edge. Time to start lobbying the wife for some cash. I love building/repairing/modifying and the 120 looks like a fun project.
My 254 is driving a recent revision pair of Merlin TSM speakers; very revealing and accurate without being harsh or analytical if that makes sense. I'm really liking my modified 254 and it still isn't completely broken in. No big complaints at this point. But your description of the 70/120 really helps. I can see why you like both and I think the 120 and Merlin will be a match made in heaven.
This all fits in nicely with the other discussion about summer and winter amps.
Thanks again.
Not sure how efficient the Merlin is, but the ST 70 may be a moderately cheaper alternative. I kept it over the 120 because of the wide variety of power tubes ( 6L6 thru KT 88 ) I could use. I was also drifting toward more efficient speakers and extra power of the 120 was not essential. For the record, I did like the 120 with KT 120's. The 70 sounds great with Genalex(re-issue) KT 88's. Others have found the Genalex (re-issue) KT 66 to be a winner.
Mick, can't thank you enough for steering me in the right direction. The TSM is an easy load and relatively efficient at 87db/W/m. Yes, the ST 70 does make more sense; less cost, less heat and output tube variety. I have lots of NOS 6L6 tubes (I do a lot of guitar amp work) which I've never used in an audio application so that should be fun and informative. Thanks also for the other output tube recommendations.
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