Do certain tubes go better with certain speakers, what's the tube for Devore O/96

[essrand]

I thought I might poll to see if people think certain tubes go better with certain speakers.

I have always heard 300b go well with Devore O/96, but I always thought it was not the tube but the implementation that mattered more, in fact both do (of course).

When it comes to amp selection, I have typically chosen brand/designer/model first, tube later, but recently a friend convinced me to invert the decision. Choose the tube that is best for the speaker, then choose the best implementation of that tube (that you can afford).

Anyone try that?
Any ideas, what's best tubes for Devores?

 

[adamaley]

@bonzo75 made some amp recommendations for the 0/96s in the SET Amp owners thread. Search function should help you here. Should be a good place to start.

 

[Hear Here]

I thought I might poll to see if people think certain tubes go better with certain speakers.

I have always heard 300b go well with Devore O/96, but I always thought it was not the tube but the implementation that mattered more, in fact both do (of course).

When it comes to amp selection, I have typically chosen brand/designer/model first, tube later, but recently a friend convinced me to invert the decision. Choose the tube that is best for the speaker, then choose the best implementation of that tube (that you can afford).

Anyone try that?
Any ideas, what's best tubes for Devores?

Tricky one that! I'm not familiar with your speakers, but certainly the tube needs to be chosen to suit the speaker (sensitivity is an important factor) and type of music you listen too. Also of course the type of amp - SET, PP, OTL, etc is an important consideration.

I had Avantgarde speakers (claimed 101 dB) when I was nudged into tube amps to power them. Almost all the tube amps I used over about 17 years were SETs. For my speakers, I found that for small-scale music, the PX-25 (6 watts) delivered the most sublime rendition. However for full-scale orchestral music, etc, I preferred the 845. My experience with 300B was disappointing, but that was likely down to the make and model I had.

As will all amp selection, you really need to try before you buy and arrange to borrow a few examples to put into your own home and powering your own speakers. I did this a few years ago when moving away from tube to ss amplification. I bought several used amps, a couple of new ones and borrowed a few more from dealers - I tried 12 in all. Even though ss amps probably differ from one model to another less than tube amps, it was surprising how much difference there was in the listening experience. 2 well-known amps turned out to be seriously disappointing and others rather better than expected. The first amp, that was bought unheard on the rave recommendation of a fellow Avantgarde owner with deep pockets (he'd owned dozens of costly tube and ss amps), turned out to be in the former category - lacking in listening satisfaction to the point one wanted to turn down the volume!

So, I can't really offer any suggestions apart from try as many amps as you can before committing, but don't go for an amp with too few watts if your speakers are less sensitive or you listen to heavy metal!

 

[mtemur]

Tricky one that! I'm not familiar with your speakers, but certainly the tube needs to be chosen to suit the speaker (sensitivity is an important factor) and type of music you listen too. Also of course the type of amp - SET, PP, OTL, etc is an important consideration.

I had Avantgarde speakers (claimed 101 dB) when I was nudged into tube amps to power them. Almost all the tube amps I used over about 17 years were SETs. For my speakers, I found that for small-scale music, the PX-25 (6 watts) delivered the most sublime rendition. However for full-scale orchestral music, etc, I preferred the 845. My experience with 300B was disappointing, but that was likely down to the make and model I had.

As will all amp selection, you really need to try before you buy and arrange to borrow a few examples to put into your own home and powering your own speakers. I did this a few years ago when moving away from tube to ss amplification. I bought several used amps, a couple of new ones and borrowed a few more from dealers - I tried 12 in all. Even though ss amps probably differ from one model to another less than tube amps, it was surprising how much difference there was in the listening experience. 2 well-known amps turned out to be seriously disappointing and others rather better than expected. The first amp, that was bought unheard on the rave recommendation of a fellow Avantgarde owner with deep pockets (he'd owned dozens of costly tube and ss amps), turned out to be in the former category - lacking in listening satisfaction to the point one wanted to turn down the volume!

So, I can't really offer any suggestions apart from try as many amps as you can before committing, but don't go for an amp with too few watts if your speakers are less sensitive or you listen to heavy metal!

My friend’s Avantgarde Duo sounded best with Mark Levinson 33H IMHO. Neither Trio nor Duo sounded better with tube amps than they did with Mark Levinsons. Maybe it’s related with high 18ohms impedance.

The same can be true for O/96 but I highly suspect that. I owned a Devore O/96 and I heard it in a couple of setups. IMHO it sounds better with tube amps but which tubes and which amps I don’t know.

 

[GHasley]

Devore uses 300b and 211 amplifiers. I've heard them sound lovely with both of those tubes as well as the el84, F2a and el34's. In short, they sound lovely with good amplifiers.

 

[Atmasphere]

I thought I might poll to see if people think certain tubes go better with certain speakers.

I have always heard 300b go well with Devore O/96, but I always thought it was not the tube but the implementation that mattered more, in fact both do (of course).

When it comes to amp selection, I have typically chosen brand/designer/model first, tube later, but recently a friend convinced me to invert the decision. Choose the tube that is best for the speaker, then choose the best implementation of that tube (that you can afford).

Anyone try that?
Any ideas, what's best tubes for Devores?

We have customers that use that speaker with our M-60s. The speaker is very tube friendly so I don't think you need to worry about what kind of tube is driving it. That has nothing to do with how the speaker or for that matter how the amp driving it will sound.

Amps sound the way they do out of distortion. Distortion in turn has a lot to do with the topology (design) of the amp. So I think you are not asking the right question, but at any rate if you want a tube amp for the DeVores, any good quality tube amp will work well on that speaker.

 

[Davehg]

I’ve had over 25 tube amps through my Devore system and my favorites have been the 300b, 211, EL34/6L6 and most recently, 833.

I enjoyed but didn’t love 805, 810, 811, 2A3, and 6550 amps.

It really comes down to the implementation. I’ve tried ten 300b amps and only one (which I now own) shone above the others, and it had magnificent iron (Magnaquest nickel transformers) and very large Mundorf Supreme caps. Same with the EL34 - the Leben CS600x was a clear favorite over many others I tried. My favorite 211 was the wonderful Airtight Mono amps.

I’m having a pair of 833 mono amps built, with custom Monolith transformers, putting out 88wpc. Same builder as my 300b monos. To my ears, it’s the best amp I’ve heard with the Devore. Picture below is of the prototypes.

 

[VerdantAudio]

Tubes can have a range of sound depending on circuit design. Can't assume that just because something is a 300B will mean it has the lush midrange of a typical 300B. Some can be colder and more linear.

My experience with those speakers is that Leben in particular is a brilliant match but lack of remote is frustrating. I have had great success with CANOR products (Virtus I2 or AI 1.20) can be absolutely brilliant with them. They are EL34 and KT88 respectively.

 

[Ron Resnick]

Other than merely for the purpose of fencing would anybody seriously like to dispute that most audiophiles feel that loudspeakers by Devore, Songer and Wolf von Langa sound best when driven by low power tube amplifiers?

Would anybody like to report that he/she found high-power solid-state to be sonically preferable to low power tubes on these three brands of loudspeakers?

 

[DetroitVinylRob]

I’ve had over 25 tube amps through my Devore system and my favorites have been the 300b, 211, EL34/6L6 and most recently, 833.

I enjoyed but didn’t love 805, 810, 811, 2A3, and 6550 amps.

It really comes down to the implementation. I’ve tried ten 300b amps and only one (which I now own) shone above the others, and it had magnificent iron (Magnaquest nickel transformers) and very large Mundorf Supreme caps. Same with the EL34 - the Leben CS600x was a clear favorite over many others I tried. My favorite 211 was the wonderful Airtight Mono amps.

I’m having a pair of 833 mono amps built, with custom Monolith transformers, putting out 88wpc. Same builder as my 300b monos. To my ears, it’s the best amp I’ve heard with the Devore. Picture below is of the prototypes.

looks like Paul’s Apollo amps

 

[bonzo75]

Other than merely for the purpose of fencing would anybody seriously like to dispute that most audiophiles feel that loudspeakers by Devore, Songer and Wolf von Langa sound best when driven by low power tube amplifiers?

Would anybody like to report that he/she found high-power solid-state to be sonically preferable to low power tubes on these three brands of loudspeakers?

Not sure what you are looking for other than purely fencing. There are reports of everything, including digital being better than analog, digital crossover being better than passive, etc. So what is the purpose of your question, in your subjective world each angle of choice has been covered

 

[Atmasphere]

Other than merely for the purpose of fencing would anybody seriously like to dispute that most audiophiles feel that loudspeakers by Devore, Songer and Wolf von Langa sound best when driven by low power tube amplifiers?

Would anybody like to report that he/she found high-power solid-state to be sonically preferable to low power tubes on these three brands of loudspeakers?

I have reports like that but not on those specific speakers; instead other speakers that are easily driven by low power tube amps.

 

[DetroitVinylRob]

Other than merely for the purpose of fencing would anybody seriously like to dispute that most audiophiles feel that loudspeakers by Devore, Songer and Wolf von Langa sound best when driven by low power tube amplifiers?

Would anybody like to report that he/she found high-power solid-state to be sonically preferable to low power tubes on these three brands of loudspeakers?

Not i.

In my world much of what we are seeing/experiencing in our SMAC audio club and associated friends is actually a migration toward these kinds of loudspeakers and smallish tube based amplifiers. For many of us it is an acceptable, affordable evolution toward musical ecstasy.

It’s about a (relatively) complete listening satisfaction. Like eating a well prepared meal.

Personally I’ve come to the point as well where I’m simply finding less interest in audio shows, and when we do go, skip many of the rooms. It’s likely because I’m less searching, as my kit is pretty much coming up with the goods and I’m just happy. But obviously, I haven’t heard everything. I digress.

To your point, I certainly feel a truthful synergy with these kinds of combinations. They speak more to the heart than the brain. And the proof is, when in front of them, I stop thinking as much about what the kit is doing and just get emotionally involved in the performance.

 

[bonzo75]

It’s about a (relatively) complete listening satisfaction. Like eating a well prepared meal.

To your point, I certainly feel a truthful synergy with these kinds of combinations. And the proof is, when in front of them, I stop thinking as much about what the kit is doing and just get emotionally involved in the performance.

This is very well written. I simply call it moving out of the Noob Linear phase.

 

[DetroitVinylRob]

This is very well written. I simply call it moving out of the Noob Linear phase.

Thank you sir. Still have a love for gear... you name it, cars, timepieces, audio/video nobs, a fine writing pen, rocket ships to the stars. My grandfather was a furniture maker and did marquetry, my father was a watchmaker, I’m a semiretired industrial designer and visualist for goodness sake. Ah, but “Listening”

 

[Davehg]

Other than merely for the purpose of fencing would anybody seriously like to dispute that most audiophiles feel that loudspeakers by Devore, Songer and Wolf von Langa sound best when driven by low power tube amplifiers?

Would anybody like to report that he/she found high-power solid-state to be sonically preferable to low power tubes on these three brands of loudspeakers?

The best sound from my Devore O/96 was from an 88wpc SET 833 mono amp. It was enough of an improvement to make me order a pair that are awaiting assembly.

I prefer Devore on tubes and mostly 300b low power SETs but many run on moderately powered tube amps.

 

[markh]

I have the Super Nines and currently use the Audio Research i50, stock tubes.. love it. I also rotate in my Luxman LX-380 and the 550axII (solid state)from time to time but have been using the ARi50 more and more, I guess because I like the sound.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Audio Research i50, Devore Super Nines, Gold Note Turntable, Pioneer Elite CD, Eversolo DMP-A6
Other amps: Luxman LX-380, Luxman 550 axII, Musical Fidelity 6si
Speakers: Harbeth 30.2Xd, Dynaudio Heritage Specials, Magnapan LRS

 

[orrman]

Other than merely for the purpose of fencing would anybody seriously like to dispute that most audiophiles feel that loudspeakers by Devore, Songer and Wolf von Langa sound best when driven by low power tube amplifiers?

Would anybody like to report that he/she found high-power solid-state to be sonically preferable to low power tubes on these three brands of loudspeakers?

I run my my O/96s with a tube hybrid design (30wpc class A) and it's the best I heard them between a few different options so far. It's definitely not a 8w 300b but it's also not a 400w solid state monoblocks so perhaps doesn't answer your question exactly but not everyone goes for super low power options

 

[A-Line]

Other than merely for the purpose of fencing would anybody seriously like to dispute that most audiophiles feel that loudspeakers by Devore, Songer and Wolf von Langa sound best when driven by low power tube amplifiers?

Would anybody like to report that he/she found high-power solid-state to be sonically preferable to low power tubes on these three brands of loudspeakers?

I've listened to various models of DeVore at a local dealership. These speakers mate extremely well with Audio Note 300B, yet the best match is with Audio Note speakers but at a much higher cost. To me DeVore speakers represent a great value.

I would speculate that a Shindo 300B would also be a great amp for DeVore speakers though I've never heard that combination but have heard a all Shindo system with their 300B for amplification and their reincarnated Garrard 301 turntable.

These types of setups maybe the best setups for those that mainly listen to small jazz ensembles or classical chamber music. The sound is very compelling.

Just my opinions.

 

[A-Line]

I thought I might poll to see if people think certain tubes go better with certain speakers.

I have always heard 300b go well with Devore O/96, but I always thought it was not the tube but the implementation that mattered more, in fact both do (of course).

When it comes to amp selection, I have typically chosen brand/designer/model first, tube later, but recently a friend convinced me to invert the decision. Choose the tube that is best for the speaker, then choose the best implementation of that tube (that you can afford).

Anyone try that?
Any ideas, what's best tubes for Devores?

Not sure how one would choose certain tubes first then attempt to mate with a tube amp. Typically a tube amp is chosen first then roll some tubes to find the sound that you want.