Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphone Amps (full-size) › Tube Amp advice requested
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Tube Amp advice requested

post #1 of 5
2/19/11 at 3:59pm
Thread Starter 

Hi folks,

I'm considering a new amp and was intrigued by some of the Chinese tube models on the market.

My current setup (used for near field listening at my computer mostly) :


Axiom M22 v3 bookshelf speakers (93 DB, 10-200 watt)


Paradigm DSP-3100 10" powered subwoofer


Marantz SR3001 60w amp (low-end Home theater amp I bought cheap)


iMac 27" via Toslink optical


In a 22x11x7.5 ' room, I sit in one corner with speakers at ear height next to the iMac - 3ft away, 30" apart toed in towards me, low to moderate volume.


Most of my music is rock & electronica with a smattering of acoustic guitar & bluegrass in Apple Lossless format. I especially love twangy surf & rockabilly guitar sound also, so the idea of a tube amp is appealing if you think it would be a good match.

If so, what tube family ?

Brands/models to consider ?

What is acceptable Signal/Noise ratio and THD % for this music & environment ?

Which DAC & other assorted accessories ? 

I'd like to keep this below $2500, but would go higher for exceptional performance. 

Also, getting a headphone output off the amp would be a huge plus if SQ is very good, otherwise off the DAC or a separate HF amp.



Thank you in advance for your sage advice.


Mike in CT

Reply
post #2 of 5
2/19/11 at 5:40pm

I like Cayin products also Consonance is good too.

Reply
post #3 of 5
2/19/11 at 9:46pm
You have a lot of options at $2,500. Personally, I'd go with a Zana Deux as a preamp/headphone amp. Not cheap, but about the best headphone amp/preamp money can buy. I've had one for three years and am still zealous about it. Use it to drive your solid state amp until you can get a good tube power amp. I use a Conrad-Johnson MV52 that I paid around $700 for. Sweet little amp and the push-pull EL34s sound great. I like the rest of the EL34 Conrad-Johnson amps, too. Other tube power amps I like include models from McIntosh, Dynaco, and Atma-Sphere.

I'm not too current on DACs, though there are a lot of good vintage ones that aren't that expensive.

But check out the Zana Deux and read through the owner's thread. It is a unique circuit - there's nothing else like it. That gets said a lot about lots of gear, but this one really is different. The 6C33C tubes allow an OTL to drive low-impedance headphones, something no other OTL does. It also takes the signal off the plates, which few headphone amps do. And it makes a terrific preamp. Build quality is superb (all point-to-point, no PCBs) and the large 6C33C tubes are impressive. People will notice. Cosmetic, but it makes it fun to own.
Reply
post #4 of 5
2/21/11 at 4:39pm

Can't U just tap the speakers output of a tube amp for headphone listening?  I am assuming that the tube amp is (2-10 watts).  Oh, nevermind, there are so many different types of tubes and tube amps out there that it is almost impossible to give u a suggestion.  I am a little worry that a tube amp might not be able to drive your current speakers to a proper volume.  I dont believe those speaker are 93 dB ( marketing?  )  prob more like 87 db

Reply
post #5 of 5
2/21/11 at 5:04pm
You can tap the outputs of a power amp, but you'd probably need to build a box with voltage dropping resistors, as most receivers have.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Headphone Amps (full-size)
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphone Amps (full-size) › Tube Amp advice requested