Does anyone know if it's possible to get a tube amplifier for my stereo for a reasonable price? Also if anyone has a tube amp can you tell me about how much better it sounds? Thanks
IMO tube amps (and especially tube pre-amps) sound much better than solid state but are a heck of a lot more work (biasing, etc).
Depending on how you define reasonable price and how much power you might need to drive your speakers ( some speakers need a ton of juice and some are more efficient), there are plenty of decent price tube amps around.
Happy to try and help if you want to pm me.
yeah, I'm going to send you a pm when I get a chance and get a little more educated. Thanks.
Bumping this thread because I've been upgrading/obsessing over my stereo lately.
Anyone want to share details about their gear? What do you enjoy your music through?
In order of "evolution," in my main rig:
Amp/preamp - Panasonic SA-XR25 -> Emotiva UPA-2 preamp+USP-1 amp
Speakers - Klipsch SF-3 -> KEF 103.2 (now in the office) -> Wharfedale Diamond 9.6 (now for sale, if anyone needs some nice speakers!) -> Magnepan 2.7QR
DIY 8" sub (made by a buddy)
Turntable - Audio Technica AT-PL50 -> Rega RP1+Bellari VP130 tube phono stage
Digital - blu-ray player for CD's and streaming from Spotify; I had a Peachtree DAC-it, but I am trading that towards my new Magnepan speakers
In the office, I've got:
Speakers - KEF 103.2 bookshelf (on stands)
Amp/preamp - Sherbourn PA 2-50
In general, I think buying used is the way to go for high-end audio stuff. You can get speakers at half price (or better). Audiogon, ebay, forums, there are so many choices out there these days...anyone can find and afford a pretty nice stereo. Amp/preamp wise, it's hard to beat Emotiva for the price:performance ratio.
If anyone wants to "talk shop" on their gear, here's the place!
And if anyone lives with about 3 hours of Asheville, NC, and is interested in some Wharfedale Diamond 9.6 speakers, let me know! They are nice. $999+ when new, I would sell them for $325 or close to it. I would meet halfway as well.
http://www.audioreview.com/cat/speakers/floorstanding-speakers/wharfedale/diamond-9-6/prd_336376_1594crx.aspx (http://www.audioreview.com/cat/speakers/floorstanding-speakers/wharfedale/diamond-9-6/prd_336376_1594crx.aspx)
Wharfedale Diamond 9.6 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci32mTrhSXQ#ws)
Don't know if anyone is into headphones, but I just picked up some Stax 'phones for $40!!! They are a lower-end/older model, but I thought I'd check out the Stax sound. They are definitely smooooooth. M. Ward sounds incredible on them.
Here's some for $10! I typically see these go for $130 or so (asking price).
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vnitage-Stax-SR-44-Electret-Earspeaker-System-in-Original-Box-/310792172472?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item485ca833b8#ht_474wt_1362 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vnitage-Stax-SR-44-Electret-Earspeaker-System-in-Original-Box-/310792172472?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item485ca833b8#ht_474wt_1362)