Tube amp suggestions please

[Moe]

I was looking at the Monoprice 50w amplifier but after reading the bad reviews will take a pass on that. I would like a tube amp with a output of 25-50 watts per channel.Currently using a Sansui 9090db had since new but would like to listen to my CD's in the den. Can someone suggest a tube amp in the 300 - 400 price range it will be driving two Polk T50's not the best but what I have. Thank you

 

[Sal1950]

If that's all the power you need, save some money and get one of these,
They'll sound better,
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1311&_nkw=adcom+gfa+535+ii&_sacat=0

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

This or this are reasonably priced vacuum tube amps which fit your criteria and budget.

 

[DVDdoug]

Not all tube amps sound the same so if you want "tube sound" you really have to listen for yourself... For example, guitar players often prefer tube amps, and different guitar players usually have a different manufacturer/model preference. Unlike hi-fi amplifiers, guitar amplifiers are supposed to have a "sound" and they are "part of the instrument.

A high fidelity amplifier (low noise, low distortion, flat frequency response) isn't supposed have any sound of its own. The ideal amplifier is often described as "a straight wire with gain". I'm pretty sure a Macintosh tube amp sounds exactly like any good solid state tube amp. (A million years ago I had a Macintosh amplifier that somebody gave me. It ""sounded fine but it was mono so I didn't use it much and I eventually gave it away to someone else.)

The thing with 1950s technology is that it's very expensive (cost per-watt) to make a high fidelity amplifier.

 

[Wes]

I was looking at the Monoprice 50w amplifier but after reading the bad reviews will take a pass on that. I would like a tube amp with a output of 25-50 watts per channel.Currently using a Sansui 9090db had since new but would like to listen to my CD's in the den. Can someone suggest a tube amp in the 300 - 400 price range it will be driving two Polk T50's not the best but what I have. Thank you

following along with some of the posts above, I have to ask why you specifically want a tube amp?

is it for the visuals?

 

[Bob from Florida]

I was looking at the Monoprice 50w amplifier but after reading the bad reviews will take a pass on that. I would like a tube amp with a output of 25-50 watts per channel.Currently using a Sansui 9090db had since new but would like to listen to my CD's in the den. Can someone suggest a tube amp in the 300 - 400 price range it will be driving two Polk T50's not the best but what I have. Thank you

I can recommend Quicksilver Audio - high quality, neutral, and dynamic. The Quicksilver Mid-Mono's at $1995 list will do the job. You may find a deal on the used market. Your price range is not realistic for a high quality tube amp.

 

[Bob from Florida]

I can recommend Quicksilver Audio - high quality, neutral, and dynamic. The Quicksilver Mid-Mono's at $1995 list will do the job. You may find a deal on the used market. Your price range is not realistic for a high quality tube amp.

 

[Moe]

following along with some of the posts above, I have to ask why you specifically want a tube amp?

is it for the visuals?

I was told it would have a richer cleaner sound then a solid state amps. I am up in years and just looking for a amp with clean sound and little to no distortion most of my music is from 60's 70's

 

[Moe]

I can recommend Quicksilver Audio - high quality, neutral, and dynamic. The Quicksilver Mid-Mono's at $1995 list will do the job. You may find a deal on the used market. Your price range is not realistic for a high quality tube amp.

thank you good to know that's why I joined to learn and only buy once.

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

I was told it would have a richer cleaner sound then a solid state amps. I am up in years and just looking for a amp with clean sound and little to no distortion most of my music is from 60's 70's

If you're looking for lack of distortion, you're not going to find it with tube amps. The only real justification for using tubes now (in my opinion) is that one simply likes the look of the tubes doing their thing. Depending on how much power your speakers need and going by your budget, a class D amp would probably be the wisest choice.

BTW, my system is almost completely vacuum tube.

 

[Bob from Florida]

thank you good to know that's why I joined to learn and only buy once.

I just looked up your Sansui and realized it is a receiver. The amps I suggested are mono blocks and would require a preamp also - or at least an attenuator for your CD output. Quicksilver does make a 20 watt integrated amp that is pretty good. I bought one for my son's system driving some Klipsch RP160M bookshelf speakers.

 

[Moe]

OK thanks for you info I will search for class D amps

 

[Moe]

I just looked up your Sansui and realized it is a receiver. The amps I suggested are mono blocks and would require a preamp also - or at least an attenuator for your CD output. Quicksilver does make a 20 watt integrated amp that is pretty good. I bought one for my son's system driving some Klipsch RP160M bookshelf speakers.

I just looked up your Sansui and realized it is a receiver. The amps I suggested are mono blocks and would require a preamp also - or at least an attenuator for your CD output. Quicksilver does make a 20 watt integrated amp that is pretty good. I bought one for my son's system driving some Klipsch RP160M bookshelf speakers.

Thanks will check the 20 watt amp out

 

[Duke]

I was told it would have a richer cleaner sound then a solid state amps. I am up in years and just looking for a amp with clean sound and little to no distortion most of my music is from 60's 70's

What loudspeakers do you have, if you don't mind saying? Some speakers work well with tube amps and some don't, and it has a lot to do with the impedance curve.

On the issue of distortion, tube amps tend to have large amounts of perceptually benign distortion, so they look bad on paper but can sound very good with suitable speakers. I suggest you not get distracted by the THD (total harmonic distortion) numbers, as they do not correlate well at all with perception.

 

[Moe]

What loudspeakers do you have, if you don't mind saying? Some speakers work well with tube amps and some don't, and it has a lot to do with the impedance curve.

On the issue of distortion, tube amps tend to have large amounts of perceptually benign distortion, so they look bad on paper but can sound very good with suitable speakers. I suggest you not get distracted by the THD (total harmonic distortion) numbers, as they do not correlate well at all with perception.

I have a pair of Polk T50’s here that I planned on using the room is small 10x12

 

[Wes]

Besides the Polks, you also mention a "300 - 400 price range" - in USD? Not sure a top Class D amp is at that price yet.

The Adcom Sal posted is a great choice.

 

[Moe]

I have a pair of Polk T50’s here that I planned on using the room is small 10x12

Besides the Polks, you also mention a "300 - 400 price range" - in USD? Not sure a top Class D amp is at that price yet.

The Adcom Sal posted is a great choice.

well this is a learning lesson for me wanted to see what people would suggest love my old 9090db but wanted to have music in another room

 

[Duke]

I have a pair of Polk T50’s here that I planned on using the room is small 10x12

Thank you for that information.

Imo the impedance curve of the Polk isn't really a great match for a tube amp. Here is how the frequency response would change if you went with tubes:

The bass would get louder.

The low midrange (cello region) would get a little bit weaker.

The lower treble region would get louder, because the Polks have a large impedance peak at about 3 kHz. This might result in harshness. I can help you fix this issue, if you are comfortable with a soldering iron.

Finally the Polk's efficiency is not very high, but then your room isn't very big, so I think you'd be okay with 20 watts ballpark. Imo you would want a tube amp that is comfortable with a 4 ohm load.

I have been out of the inexpensive integrated tube amplifier scene for too long to make a specific recommendation, but something with four EL-34 output tubes comes to mind. A company called Jolida used to make such an amp, called the JD-102b, and there are probably similar amps from China today, I just don't know anything about them (I'm more of a speaker guy than an amp guy).

IF you are open to doing minor outpatient surgery to make your Polks more tube-amp-friendly, I think a 4-ohm-capable integrated tube amp would work well. Otherwise, I'd advise against tubes.

 

[Moe]

Thank you for that information.

Imo the impedance curve of the Polk isn't really a great match for a tube amp. Here is how the frequency response would change if you went with tubes:

The bass would get louder.

The low midrange (cello region) would get a little bit weaker.

The lower treble region would get louder, because the Polks have a large impedance peak at about 3 kHz. This might result in harshness. I can help you fix this issue, if you are comfortable with a soldering iron.

Finally the Polk's efficiency is not very high, but then your room isn't very big, so I think you'd be okay with 20 watts ballpark. Imo you would want a tube amp that is comfortable with a 4 ohm load.

I have been out of the inexpensive integrated tube amplifier scene for too long to make a specific recommendation, but something with four EL-34 output tubes comes to mind. A company called Jolida used to make such an amp, called the JD-102b, and there are probably similar amps from China today, I just don't know anything about them (I'm more of a speaker guy than an amp guy).

IF you are open to doing minor outpatient surgery to make your Polks more tube-amp-friendly, I think a 4-ohm-capable integrated tube amp would work well. Otherwise, I'd advise against tubes.

thank you for the info and time

 

[Jim Matthews]

Love me some Adcom amps.

On the budget front, a contemporary offering from Yamaha has loads of features, including an onboard MusiCast (you'll need the app on your phone) streamer.

It has a traditional, large transformer so it *appears* to be a Class AB amplifier.

No idea how it sounds, but it checks lotsa boxes for a budget amp from a legacy (meaningful warranty support implied) maker.

https://www.cnet.com/products/yamaha-r-n303-network-audio-receiver/