Amp/Preamp Asylum

Looking for a new Amp or Preamp? If you're after tubes, post over here.

Use this form to submit comments directly to the Asylum moderators for this forum. We're particularly interested in truly outstanding posts that might be added to our FAQs.
You may also use this form to provide feedback or to call attention to messages that may be in violation of our content rules.

You must login to use this feature.

Inmate Login

By default, logging in will set a session cookie that disappears when you close your browser. Clicking on the 'Remember my Moniker & Password' below will cause a permanent 'Login Cookie' to be set.

Moniker/Username: The Name that you picked or by default, your email. Forgot Moniker?	Examples "Rapper", "Bob W", "joe@aol.com".
Password:	Forgot Password?
	Remember my Moniker & Password ( What's this?)

If you don't have an Asylum Account, you can create one by clicking Here.

Our privacy policy can be reviewed by clicking Here.

Inmate Comments

From:
Your Email:
Subject:

Message Comments

Original Message

Some advice? Left Naim, tubes aren't working and McIntosh is a dissapointment

Posted by DominicPorter on August 9, 2016 at 22:40:19:
It's been untold ages since i posted on the Asylum (back before you needed to be registered to post) and then it was never in the Amp forum either, usually the Hi-Eff, but i was hoping you guys could help a fella out anyway.
Friend of mine runs a pretty nice setup in terms of source (lp12/ittok/Evans Groove) and speakers (Atlantis Acoustique Esterel), but he's got an amplifier conundrum. He used to have a Naim pseudo-separates stack, of Supernait, SuperCap, and i can't recall the pre; but he gave that all up to go for something integrated. After having auditioned a Zesto phonostage on the way to the Evans he was turned onto tubes and without my help found his way to a pretty nice sounding Cary 300SEI. He was never as fundamentally enthusiastic about it as I was, so I've bought that one off him. That still left him in need of an integrated, and having great nostalgia for the old Mcintosh sound of his youth and trying to avoid piling quite as much money up in the listening room as he had with the Naim products, he went for an MA6300 and immediately had buyer's regret. My suspicion on that is that the 91db Esterel's aren't drawing enough current to get the amp into its zone. He's also decided the warm up time for tubes doesn't fit his schedule.
So I think what we're looking for is something SS that'll sing with a relatively efficient threeway in a small room, that has a feel reminiscent of old Mac gear but actually more modern in aural presentation. Ballpark 6k and under.
My first thought was something like a First Watt, but as good as Nelson's designs appear to sound, i don't think they'll check the nostalgia mark, especially against something from Mcintosh that wears it so precociously on its sleeve. Anything out there First Watt -esque but with glowing meters and maybe 50 watts?