recently a friend let me borrow his VTL 85. I loved the sound of it over my solid state power amp. So I would like to get my first Tube amp. My speakers are about 89db efficient (dynamic speakers) i am using a Rogue RP7 pre and am thinking 100 watts. I am considering preowned at this point. My budget is 5K to 6K. I would like suggestions on brands, models etc to research. Thanks
Looking to buy my firstTube Power Amp
- Thread starter jimbones
- Start date
VTL is a great tube brand, and if you love the 85, sounds like that is a great place to start. So too might be Rogue Stereo amps since you have their preamp and presumably like it? The other name which comes to mind are the CJs 120 and 62...which on the 2nd hand/demo market could also fit well within your targets.
Wow...good call. I have read very good things about that amp. Been reading about their HP4 headphone amp quite a lot lately, and this particularly amp has come up several times.
I have not considered Rogue for power amp as some people say their tube amps sound more like SS (if thats possible) I can say that their RP7 is not like a typical tube Pre.
I have read very good things about Music Reference but have not heard. I do not know about Audio Hungary.
The good news is most tube amps follow similar build topologies and if a tech is fluent in repairing one they usually can do others. The bad news is good 'old skool' techs are not super common anymore.
If you are going down the vintage / used path best to spend some time finding out who the options are in your area.
If you are going down the vintage / used path best to spend some time finding out who the options are in your area.
Im fortunate I have a super good tech in my area (was able to fix my buddies Antique Sound Labs) I would prefer to not have to hump a 70 lb amp to tyhe tech in the first place lol! Im old and I had back surgery. I was hoping to actually get a GAN amp that would have excellent performance since they are a hell of a lot lighter but I lost hope in any Class D sounding any good. ha ha
Message Ralph @Atmasphere he has a new class D amp coming soon...from a guy doing OTL tube gear for the last 40+ years.
There are now a few dealers representing Carver amps including Music Direct. I'd love to hear the 275, very innovative design.
five-year manufacturer's warranty on operation, parts, and tubes!
Made in USA.
five-year manufacturer's warranty on operation, parts, and tubes!
Made in USA.
You don't need 100 tube watts for 89 db speakers unless you have a huge room. I run 89 db Bache Metro 001's (and 89 db Merlin VSM's before them) with a 35 watt Pathos TT and can shake the walls of my 16'x10' room if I want to. You have more good choices in your price range at lower power.
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Since you liked it:
www.audiogon.com
If you have a good tech upgrade key caps, resistors, connectors, and wiring.
Note that there are pre-owned tube power amps in your price range (and likely with enough power) for sale at Audiogon from Audio Research, Audio Hungary, BAT, EAR, McIntosh, VAC, and Zesto.
VTL IT-85 | Tube | Houston, Texas 77069
VTL IT-85 for sale. PRICE LOWERED! I bought this in February 2018 from a fellow Agoner. Used it in a bedroom system for a short time. Listed it for sale for a while and then decided to keep it, to pair with the VTL MB...
www.audiogon.com
If you have a good tech upgrade key caps, resistors, connectors, and wiring.
Note that there are pre-owned tube power amps in your price range (and likely with enough power) for sale at Audiogon from Audio Research, Audio Hungary, BAT, EAR, McIntosh, VAC, and Zesto.
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