Best measuring tube amp

[kandamrgam]

These are the amirm recommended ones I could find.

Monoprice Liquid Platinum Headphone Amp Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Monoprice Liquid Platinum Headphone Amplifier by Alex Cavalli. It is on kind loan from a member. It costs USD $770 and is currently out of stock on Monoprice website. Alex Cavalli used to design, sell and manufacture his own tube amplifiers...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Review and Measurements of xDuoo TA-10 Tube DAC & HP Amp

This is a review and detailed measurements of the xDuoo TA-10 DAC and Tube headphone amplifier plus pre-amplifier. It was kindly sent to me by the online store, Xtenik Audio. The TA-10 costs US $290. I must confess, my impression of xDuoo is one of ultimate budget products, with looks and...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Nicknack]

resurrecting an old thread. Nobody suggested or mentioned measuring a nestorovic alpha-1 amp

 

[xaxxon]

I completely don't understand the concept of wanting a tube amp that measures well. That's like asking for the car that needs the most maintenance and still goes kinda fast. When you could just get a reliable car that goes fast.

If you want something that measures well, tubes make zero sense. The only reason to get a tube amp is that you don't WANT it to measure well. You want to add distortion for some reason.

And remember, if a sound in some music you're listening to is supposed to have pleasing distortion, that's already baked in. If you add more distortion with tube pre/amp then you're double distorting that and then distorting the stuff that isn't supposed to be, too. Distorting guitar amps are great -- but leave that to the guitarist.

 

[MattHooper]

If you want something that measures well, tubes make zero sense. The only reason to get a tube amp is that you don't WANT it to measure well. You want to add distortion for some reason.

That’s how I approach it as well. Personally, I want distortion from my tube amp. I don’t want it sounding exactly like my solid state amp.

Though… if you’re attracted to the concept/design history and aesthetics of tube amplifiers that might be enough to still make the choice worthwhile.

 

[xaxxon]

That’s how I approach it as well. Personally, I want distortion from my tube amp. I don’t want it sounding exactly like my solid state amp.

Though… if you’re attracted to the concept/design history and aesthetics of tube amplifiers that might be enough to still make the choice worthwhile.

Sure, but at that point just hide the solid state amp behind something else and just have some lights on a tube amp light up under the tubes so you don't have to ever replace them :-D

Also, tube PREamps seem to make much more sense to me if you're trying to introduce distortion. Cheaper tubes and better bass performance (tubes are infamously bad at low low frequencies)

 

[al2002]

resurrecting an old thread. Nobody suggested or mentioned measuring a nestorovic alpha-1 amp

Who will send one to ASR for testing?

 

[OldHvyMec]

I personally don't use valve amps or preamps for anything except a subjective preference. I could care less how they measure unless they have a lot of floor noise, which most of mine don't. Cary SLP-05 and V12Rs are a tough act to follow for being able to change the sound unless you go to something with tone controls on the pre. The preamps like my beloved Mcintosh/Samra C20 or C11 and the V12Rs are really special. The power amps can use anything from 6V6 to KT99 valves with 2, 4, or 6 valves per rail. It takes all of 10-20 minutes to swap, lose, or add valves and rebias. Wonderful power amps. 12 to 100+ watts per rail in less than 10 minutes, single-ended or push-pull with the flip of 6 toggles.

Pure heaven in my opinion. A lot of flexibility as far as valve types and sound changes. I seldom use valve power amps for anything below 100Hz. The preamps I use are clean enough for any frequency. The C11, C20, and C22s all have some serious sub/bass control if you really want boom, boom in the room, room, not to mention the rest of the FR.

My only issue with the older preamps is no remote. As far as sound, nothing comes close for the flexibility they have. Sterile valve units like my C2500 are a whole different ball game. They have everything, including balanced in/out and that great remote with variable loudness and tone control. The C53 has added a great EQ added but you would be hard-pressed to hear a difference between the two preamps C2500 valve unit and the C53 SS unit. They ain't cheap, but they sure are flexible and tough as nails.

50+ years with Mac and over 20 years with Cary. I love both, and the look of Cary is very special in oxblood red. They will easily heat a 300 sf room too in the dead of a CA winter.

Regards

 

[DMill]

50+ years with Mac and over 20 years with Cary. I love both, and the look of Cary is very special in oxblood red. They will easily heat a 300 sf room too in the dead of a CA winter.

I’m also a Cary fan. At least the old school Dennis Had ones. I wish I could find some measurements. I have an SLI80 that I no longer use from the late 90s. I’d ship it to Amir, but at 40+ pounds it’s a pretty big cost to likely see less than amazing results.

 

[Hiten]

Cary SLI-80 measurements.
https://www.stereophile.com/content/cary-audio-sli-80hs-integrated-amplifier-measurements

 

[DMill]

Cary SLI-80 measurements.
https://www.stereophile.com/content/cary-audio-sli-80hs-integrated-amplifier-measurements

I’ve seen worse. It’s not gonna get much love here based on JAs measurements. That said, a really fun amp that gives you a lot of tube rolling options. Hell, it has subwoofer outs that give take a lot of stress away from your mains. If you added room correction and paired with some easy driving speakers it probably could be pretty close to transparent as it gets to the ear.

 

[mhardy6647]

I’m also a Cary fan. At least the old school Dennis Had ones. I wish I could find some measurements. I have an SLI80 that I no longer use from the late 90s. I’d ship it to Amir, but at 40+ pounds it’s a pretty big cost to likely see less than amazing results.

Generally SET amplifiers, if memory serves. They wouldn't measure terribly well, although if they had adequate output iron, they might've been OK at least in terms of bandwidth. That said, I don't think they likely used much added NFB (local or global), which would not work in their favor, qualitatively.

I heard some big Cary SE amps at Deja Vu in McLean, VA many years ago. They sounded good to me -- but I am a SET kind of guy (albeit at much lower power and plate voltages ).

EDIT: OK, sorry -- I looked up that SLI-80 and it's a pretty conventional PP amplifier, so probably decent enough measuring: Dynaco ST-70 territory.

EDIT^2 My memory of those amps and reality are essentially uncorrelated.
The amps I heard were apparently PP 845 amps, like these.

 

[Keith_W]

Generally SET amplifiers, if memory serves. They wouldn't measure terribly well, although if they had adequate output iron, they might've been OK at least in terms of bandwidth. That said, I don't think they likely used much added NFB (local or global), which would not work in their favor, qualitatively.

I heard some big Cary SE amps at Deja Vu in McLean, VA many years ago. They sounded good to me -- but I am a SET kind of guy (albeit at much lower power and plate voltages ).

EDIT: OK, sorry -- I looked up that SLI-80 and it's a pretty conventional PP amplifier, so probably decent enough measuring: Dynaco ST-70 territory.

EDIT^2 My memory of those amps and reality are essentially uncorrelated.
The amps I heard were apparently PP 845 amps, like these.

View attachment 547565

That's a Cary CAD-211 amplifier. This is mine. You have a choice between 845 and 211 output tubes.

 

[mhardy6647]

View attachment 547588

That's a Cary CAD-211 amplifier. This is mine. You have a choice between 845 and 211 output tubes.

I had deeply and erroneously misremembered them! I thought they were SE 845/211 amps.
They were, in fact, more like the RCA "Fantasia" amps of the 1940s -- which were, and are, superb.

 

[Labhound]

Curcio Audio Engineering published these specs for my power amplifiers. The hum and noise is not audible at the listening position.

 

[Chrispy]

Curious why there’s no response. Now that you’ve posed the question, I too am curious. Is this info on another thread in ASR?

I saw th

Curious why there’s no response. Now that you’ve posed the question, I too am curious. Is this info on another thread in ASR?

Just saw the thread and wonder where the actual measurements were....