[ssglx]

My Tortuga matches very well with my current Monarchy SS amps, but I also like variety. I am itching to try a tube amplifier to add to my collection of equipment to work into my rotation (I change setups every few months for the fun of it).
My two sets of speakers are both smallish bookshelve type (KEF 101 reference maybe 82 db/watt, and Soliloquy 5.0i 88 db/watt).
I don't need alot of power, often getting by with a single Monarchy SM-70 Pro at 24 w/ch, so I'm thinking 20-40 w/ch might be sufficient to satisfy me.

I appreciate pureness, saturated tonal colors, transparency, and good PRAT.

What tube amps might you suggest that might match well with the Tortuga? Note that I would likely lean toward new for a tube component, rather than used, and my budget could possibly stretch to $3K. A kit might also be an option as I might be able to talk my brother-in-law into building it for me.

Chris

[Tubeburner]

I used a Decware Torii with two different Tortuga's. I want another Decware amp one day. Wonderful amp.

[tortugaranger]

My Tortuga matches very well with my current Monarchy SS amps, but I also like variety. I am itching to try a tube amplifier to add to my collection of equipment to work into my rotation (I change setups every few months for the fun of it).
My two sets of speakers are both smallish bookshelve type (KEF 101 reference maybe 82 db/watt, and Soliloquy 5.0i 88 db/watt).
I don't need alot of power, often getting by with a single Monarchy SM-70 Pro at 24 w/ch, so I'm thinking 20-40 w/ch might be sufficient to satisfy me.

I appreciate pureness, saturated tonal colors, transparency, and good PRAT.

What tube amps might you suggest that might match well with the Tortuga? Note that I would likely lean toward new for a tube component, rather than used, and my budget could possibly stretch to $3K. A kit might also be an option as I might be able to talk my brother-in-law into building it for me.

Chris

You might want to consider a hybrid approach or what I call the best of both worlds (tube and SS). Keep your SS amp for all the reasons to like a good SS amp and instead add a tube buffer downstream of your Tortuga preamp. I've come around to the view that a tube based preamp plus SS amp sounds best to my ears if you're looking for more of that tube sound.

[glynnw]

I have used 4 or 5 different tube amps with my Tortuga and all worked well.

[Shakeydeal]

I am using a Tortuga preamp with a Carver Crimson 275 to good effect. This is a very nice combo. To be honest, most any tube amp should work fine with a Tortuga or any other passive line stage from a functional standpoint. Most have high input impedance and sensitivity. You just need to decide what flavor of tube amp is for you.


Shakey