new thread
I know there are a lot of music junkies here so I figured I'd see what kind of audio systems some of you have.Its a known fact that guitarists prefer tube amplification but as for home audio tube is kind of rare.I recently purchased this beautiful integrated amp that is awesome and also Made In England not China!LOL. I also purchased new speakers as well to go along with the system as its kind of a small scale home entertainment setup with a LCD HDTV and Blu Ray DVD player.Anyway let me know what you think.Mark
Kind of interesting construction I thought.
I admire the design of both the tube amp and the speakers... I really like the separated wood design. How do they sound? And how much did that equipment run you?
Hi Jake thanks for your comments.The speakers which are playing as I write this are awesome.I'm playing some classical music through them just for kicks but I'm very impressed.The speakers are Made in Italy and were not cheap.The pair ran $2900.00 brand new.The integrated amp was an ebay purchase which I got for $1200.00 which I think is cheap for a tube amp.Mark
Mark,
I am an audio junkie! I tinker more with vintage solid state amps and receivers as the tube stuff is still out of my price range. I do have an 8 WPC tube amp that I picked up as a kit. For 8 watts, I was very impressed! I also do some DIY projects from kits I pick up off the Internet.
I tinker most with late 60's early 70's Scotts and Sherwoods.
Mike
Hi Mike
Yea I knew I wasn't the only audio nut around here.LOL.The tube amp I bought is only 15 wpc but its plenty powerful as far as I'm concerned.I also have an older solid state system from the 1980s which still works great.That system I run with two amps mono with a preamp.All that gear is Carver electronics which at the time was semi high end.The speakers on that system are ADS towers.Glad to see you like cool audio gear.Mark
Hi Fire I'm glad I was an educator for you tonight.Yea you won't see this stuff in Best Buy or Circuit City thats for sure.Before the internet you had to go to specialty audio stores to buy high end gear and most people wouldn't pay those prices unless you were really into it.Mark
I'm no expert but in really old computers before solid state circuitry and eventually IC chips they had to build huge circuits with a lot of vacuum tubes.Must have made a great heating system and it must have been hard keeping them cool as well.I think those old computer reside in museums today.LOL.
My God, now I feel really old. I remember when stuff had
vacuum tubes, I don't miss them at all.
At the moment I've got Quad ESL 57 electostatic speakers and Quad II monoblock tube amps. Old british stuff from the early 70s.
I like to try different speakers and amps and have held on to these pieces through it all.
Tube amps offer a warmth that transistors cannot. But for me, it's not a case of 'tube is better'.
Gary
I love tubes!
Here is one of my designs:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Peavey-Tour-VB2-Tube-Bass-Amp-Head?sku=481291
Looks like a very cool amp head.So you say you actually designed this particular model?Very impressive.Mark
I just took this in my living room.
I saved these guys from the trash recently. I have lots more in storage.
Most of these are no good for audio, but I can't just throw them away!
Wow. And here I thought I was the only one here old enough
to remember vacuum tubes.
Does anyone even sell vacuum tubes any more?
I haven't seen anyone around here who even sells them anymore.
And no tube testers anywhere around here.
I've bought tubes from this site before. I restored an old Emerson 1940's tabletop radio back to working condition. All it needed was two tubes (Rectifier and PowerAmp), filter caps, and all the old wax paper caps replaced for reliability reasons.
I also picked up my tube amp kit here too. :-)
http://www.tubesandmore.com/
Well, I´ve got me on of these babys for my guitar rig. :)
I no longer do sadly but the sound does have a warmth too it
I'll agree. I remember when I was a kid the drug store had a tube testing machine so that's how far back I go. What I do know of amps
tube and otherwise the Brits do make the best sound equiptment
and have for ages.
I Also like the artwork on the wall would you mind commenting
on that for us.
Thanks Hairball
Kevin
Hi Kevin
Well this is my first tube amp as they are expensive but I always did want one eventually.Now I have it:)
As for that artwork on the wall near the amp.Well I picked it up years ago at a UFO concert at The Limelight in NYC.They were selling them with all the T shirts and stuff.It was a huge print and had to have it custom framed as nothing off the shelf fit it.LOL.Great concert too as I'll always remember that one:)
Mark
Those kinds of concerts do live in your memory I know the feeling.
Thanks
Kevin
Hello !
I have a Mesa/Boogie Quad Pream that is plugged into a very very bad transistor marshall amp but i still get a killer sound !
I'm going to make a home made tube poweramp soon !
Cya
I don't have anything with tubes, as it's an outdated and fragile way anyhow. I don't play anything, but I love music. I have a yamaha component system circa 1990. I'm not sure what models it is, but all the components say "natural sound" on them.
It rocks.
The floor speakers are about 4 feet tall, and have huge woofers (around 14"), they are a 3 way set up. I can crank it and it doesn't distort at all. I've got the amp, tuner, equlizer, double cassette deck, cd player and a turntable, which needs a needle I think. It was my grandmas, and when she got older and started giving her stuff away she gave it to me.
Hi TT
Well it sounds like you are still a bit of an audio buff which is cool.I don't remember that Yamaha line from the 1990s as I was not keeping up with gear at that time.I bought a complete solid state setup during the 1980s which I still use today.Now I decided to go the tube route so I purchased what I'm showing in this thread.If possible pics of your system would be cool.Also no problem if you are in them too just to see how the hair is doing:)Mark
I'll try to take some pics this weekend.
~Tom
Hi
Good to see more valve amp/hair combinations!
The most important thing in any amplifier be it solid state or valve is that its class A. This very inefficient method of amplification avoids all manner of nasty distortion and is linear down to silence. That's very important and you don't miss it until you hear it (or don't rather)
My Quad IIs produce about 15 watts of audio for 90 watts of electricity consumed and warm the room quite nicely in the autumn or spring. I built a repro Leak Tl/12+ and this uses El84s (6BQ5) and I favour these over the KT66s in the Quad
I think you've made the right move!
Rob
ps Have you tried electrostatic speakers??
i use a bellari tube mic preamp.