[RRB]

Hi,
I am looking out for a nice 25 watt push-pull tube amplifier to drive my Tannoy Turnberry speakers. I will be using an Audio Note M5 preamp. I am somewhat inclined to get a EL84 based amp, simply because it has always sounded very pure and honest. I normally prefer a presentation that is clean and honest instead of typical creamy stuff. My budget is about $3k. At the moment I am looking to choose between Trafomatic Audio and Audio Note Kit amps. I have heard couple of Trafomatic audio SETs and they have always sounded very clean and dynamic without compromising on the natural flow and warmth of the music. I also love the Audio Note UK amplifiers but I cannot afford their higher powered SETs so I have to make do with their Kit version which is a lot more affordable. I do not know however, how well they compare with their upmarket UK versions and more importantly with Trafomatic amps. Looking for some suggestions here. Has anyone heard both the brands ? Any pointers on the signature sound of one versus the other ?

[Quiet Earth]

Hi RRB,

I'm not sure if you can get 25 watts from a typical PP EL84 amp. Perhaps an EL34 amp? I used to own a Cary Audio SLA-30A signature (30Wpc). It sounded really nice, and I had a hard time letting it go. It was tube rectified with 2 EL34s in PP. and a 6SL7 gain/driver.  It had that truthful, honest sound that you described. It was the best sounding PP amp that I ever owned. It was well under the $3K budget too, brand new (at the time).


I want to comment on the Audio Note UK house sound, but it's kind of difficult to say anything useful in the context of requiring 25 watts and only a $3K budget. If your speakers could get by with 10 watts, I highly recommend the latest signature version of the Audio Note Oto. The Oto SE Signature is a parallel El84 integrated amplifier. It has a very clear and truthful matter of fact presentation, with a dash of attitude. Yet at the same time, it is very easy on the ears for all day listening, with all kinds of music. Typical of Audio Note's better stuff. Fantastic value, if you can use the word "value" in an Audio Note thread.

The cost of a new Oto Sig.  without phono is about $6K, but you could sell your M5 to make up the difference. (More on the M5 below.). I have a feeling that your speakers need more than 10 watts,,,  so my suggestion is probably not too helpful. But it's all that I can think of ......


*** a note on the M5..... That's a really nice preamp. It sort of begs to be mated with a really nice power amp, preferably a low gain power amp of similar quality. An integrated might be a better lower cost solution. Just a thought.

[SET Man]

Hey!

   I've always enjoyed Audio Note UK's rooms at shows. And I've been using my M1 Phono pre since 1997.

   If you can swing a soldering iron than Audio Note Kit looks like a pretty deal...

http://www.ankaudiokits.com/l3el84pp.html

   El84 is a sweet sounding tube. That kit sounds like a pretty deal with C-core output transformers. Man! Would love to get those interstage single 300B with C-core.

Take care,
Buddy 

[DaveC113]

I would go with an amp that uses kt88/kt120 for a pp amp although EL34s are better for SET (I have an EL34 SET). I know all the AN kits are EL34, I'm sure they are great amps but I'd prefer a kt88/120 for your application.

If you do assemble a kit, my only advice for a "tweak" that makes a huge difference is to use Clarity TC series caps in the power supply... if they are too big/expensive at least use them in the last filter stage. It's not a subtle difference, the sound quality and dynamics are greatly improved with these super-low ESR caps in the PS.

[RRB]

Thanks everyone for replies so far.

I have actually auditioned the OTO SE Signature and that is how I fell in love with Audio Note. It is by far the most honestly musical sounding gear I have heard. However the 10 watts OTO would restrict my speakers, at least for some genres of music. That is the reason I decided I have to get into the Audio Note bandwagon however there is no way I could budget to buy their pre-power combination so I got their M6 preamp (M5 was a typo). Now for the amp, there are many good push pull amps based on EL34/KT88. I am not sure how to choose between the two. EL84 is my choice because the OTO is EL84 based and I frankly thought it sounds nearly as good as the Audio Note Conquest Silver Signature which we auditioned thereafter, except for power. Audio Note kits look attractive but are they really special or they just look special because of Audio Note sticker ?

Finally, has anyone heard any of the Trafomatic Audio amps ?

[Ericus Rex]

What you're describing, both in terms of power and sound, is a Music Reference RM-10.  It's the only amp I know of that gets 35 watts out of 2 EL84s and even claims 10,000 hour tube life.  Well within your budget and many reviews on the web.  Music Reference has a circle here on AC if you didn't know already.

[BobRex]

I second the Music Reference.  I'd also suggest the Decware Torii Mk3.  Jeff Dorgay (tonepub) gave it a wonderful review and I beleive he is still using one as a reference amp.  You might also want to investigate the Audio Mirror amps.

[Quiet Earth]

RRB,

I am a little bit confused.    You fell in love with the Oto so you bought a $20,000 pre-amp instead,,, and now you want a $3000 amp to go with it? Did you not care for the sound of the Jinro? The Jinro is a little more money than an M6, but you don't need an M6 with a Jinro. It's an integrated 17 watt single ended powerhouse!  It also requires a lot of real estate on the audio rack or on the floor. It's so big it's huge!

 I like the Jinro a lot, but I actually prefer the sound of my eight watt Quest Silver Signatures. They have a little more character and finesse. I don't need the extra power, so I get to pick the flavor.  I have discovered that there is no right or wrong with same-level AN amps and preamps.... just personal preference. To each his own.

I think as long as you buy a low gain power amp to go with your M6 you should do just fine. The suggestions you got look good to me. The M6 will get the most out of anything I can think of that would be recommended here at Audio Circle. Just stay away from high gain power amps and you'll be OK. (Avoiding excess noise and full volume at only 8o'clock on the volume control.) I don't know if you will replicate the sound of an Oto Sig., but the combination should sound nice I would think. Good luck!


FWIW, I have never heard the AN kits. They look nice and people often report good things about them, but they are not the exact same parts nor the same design philosophy as the UK built products. (They shouldn't be the same though, what would be the point?)

[RRB]

RRB,

I am a little bit confused.    You fell in love with the Oto so you bought a $20,000 pre-amp instead,,, and now you want a $3000 amp to go with it? Did you not care for the sound of the Jinro? The Jinro is a little more money than an M6, but you don't need an M6 with a Jinro. It's an integrated 17 watt single ended powerhouse!  It also requires a lot of real estate on the audio rack or on the floor. It's so big it's huge!

 I like the Jinro a lot, but I actually prefer the sound of my eight watt Quest Silver Signatures. They have a little more character and finesse. I don't need the extra power, so I get to pick the flavor.  I have discovered that there is no right or wrong with same-level AN amps and preamps.... just personal preference. To each his own.

I think as long as you buy a low gain power amp to go with your M6 you should do just fine. The suggestions you got look good to me. The M6 will get the most out of anything I can think of that would be recommended here at Audio Circle. Just stay away from high gain power amps and you'll be OK. (Avoiding excess noise and full volume at only 8o'clock on the volume control.) I don't know if you will replicate the sound of an Oto Sig., but the combination should sound nice I would think. Good luck!


FWIW, I have never heard the AN kits. They look nice and people often report good things about them, but they are not the exact same parts nor the same design philosophy as the UK built products. (They shouldn't be the same though, what would be the point?)

  I understand your curiosity here. Actually however good the OTO was, its 10 watts did not really have the drive that my speaker would need. I bought the M6 pre-owned and I got it for a song so I did not want to let it pass. However it took up a large chunk of my amplifier budget so now I am left with $3k for the power amp 

[Quiet Earth]

Ok, I gotcha man.... that makes total sense to me. I hope you find a nice amp to go with it.