Recommendations for a great budget tube integrated?

Songforyou · « **Reply #20 on:** 20 Apr 2008, 11:53 pm »

Okay, can we please talk about spanking?!? I want to know everything about spanking. If you have nothing to say about spanking, then let's talk about amps or find another thread.

Here is my dilemma: Scott 222C rocks the house with the Hornshoppe Horns on rock, blues, and other high powered stuff, but can sound a little dry with gentle things. Glow Amp One sounds spectacular on low key stuff (my jazz and small scale classical), but struggles to hold it together on more complex, ballsy stuff.

Have I just fallen into the classic push-pull vs. single-ended pentode quagmire?

Is the Almarro 205 similar in this regard? My Glow is brilliant in my den with Omega Super 3Rs, but it doesn't quite pull it together for Johnny Winter. Do I have to choose or is there an amp that does both?

gslashcpc · « **Reply #21 on:** 21 Apr 2008, 01:08 am »

Song...
I'm listening to the Glow and Ed's horns w/cube. The tubes are stock and the amp has 2 hours on it. Currently playing some South African Chill music, 70's club stuff and electronica and its good. Have you talked w/ Ed about the cube? Just a thought.

Songforyou · « **Reply #22 on:** 21 Apr 2008, 01:27 am »

Hi Gslashcpc,

I have a pair of TBI subs I use with the Horns. I can get the low bass without difficulty, it's the slam in the upper bass that seems to be missing. 6moons seemed to pick up on this in their review. I want this thing to work with the Horns because it buries the Scott in the midrange, but in my room (18' x 12') the Horns seem to be looking for more juice. With my Omegas (with their limited bass), the Glow is stunning. Pretty good for $500, isn't it? I've no experience with single ended amps, but what this thing does with vocals and smaller scale stuff is incredible. I'm just wondering if this is typical of single ended amps...(in this price range anyway).

doug s. · « **Reply #23 on:** 22 Apr 2008, 03:57 am »

here's another wote for an almarro a205a mkll, if you can get by w/only 5wpc, & your speakers are 8 or 16 ohms. mine has hovland cap upgrade, & i am using wintage rca 7189's w/a telefunken 12ax7. amazing sound that i don't think can be "spanked" for ten times the price, if 5w is all you need...

re: the sophia bebe, another great amp, w/a bit more grunt, but if you are patient on ebay, you can get the same amp labeled as aria for $200 shipped, from china. i had one, & it was a steal. mebe not quite the ambience as the almarro, but it puts out 15wpc...

for $600 delivered, you can get a dual mono kt88 yaqin that puts out 60w ul, 30w triode, allows for indiwidual tube biasing, & is downright fantastic looking - real eye candy... i have never heard this amp, tho...

doug s.

cityjim · « **Reply #24 on:** 22 Apr 2008, 12:49 pm »

Cary Audio 300SEI . Cary has been in business a long time . Also a U.S. company . 15wpc will suite you nicely .

http://www.caryaudio.com/graphics/products/classic/CAD300SEI/CAD300SEI_front_800.jpg

Another looker

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?intatube&1213959573

again

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?intatube&1213541706

WOW !!!!
http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?intatube&1213218288

cityjim

Thebiker · « **Reply #25 on:** 22 Apr 2008, 01:27 pm »

Cityjim,
I think you are a little above the $500 budget this thread started at.

But worse than that is the link to the Cary 300SEI......I want it, I mean I really really want it, but I'm in the process of closing on and furnishing a second home

That is a smokin' deal, but fortunately it is listed as "sale pending". That should prevent me from turning a normally tolerant woman (she uses both of my tube systems) into a crazy woman when I'm already tying up most of my spare change.

Walt

jrokke · « **Reply #26 on:** 22 Apr 2008, 02:19 pm »

I just picked up a Onix sp3 mk2 integrated that I am pretty impressed with. I got it locally from a guy who put v caps in it. It is very detail but has the smoothness of a tube amp with plenty of slam at 38 watts. It only has 2 inputs though. Tube rolling was very noticable with it.

doug s. · « **Reply #27 on:** 22 Apr 2008, 03:40 pm »

Quote from: Songforyou on 21 Apr 2008, 01:27 am

Hi Gslashcpc,

I have a pair of TBI subs I use with the Horns. I can get the low bass without difficulty, it's the slam in the upper bass that seems to be missing. 6moons seemed to pick up on this in their review. I want this thing to work with the Horns because it buries the Scott in the midrange, but in my room (18' x 12') the Horns seem to be looking for more juice. With my Omegas (with their limited bass), the Glow is stunning. Pretty good for $500, isn't it? I've no experience with single ended amps, but what this thing does with vocals and smaller scale stuff is incredible. I'm just wondering if this is typical of single ended amps...(in this price range anyway).

if you're using subs, actively cross them over to your hornshoppes. it will make the 'shoppes sound better regardless of which amp you are using - everything will get better if the hornshoppes don't have to see anything below 60-80hz or so... the speakers and the amps will be much happier.

doug s.

doug s. · « **Reply #28 on:** 22 Apr 2008, 03:51 pm »

want beauty? and performance? $600 shipped if you're a patient sniper. this is it:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130215963318

doug s.

dwk · « **Reply #29 on:** 24 Apr 2008, 12:44 pm »

Not quite OT for the OP, but does anyone know anything about 'Music Angel' amps, specifically this one (MINIP14):

http://www.e-audio.net/servlet/Detail?no=13&sfs=7638e4

$350 shipped for a 15W EL84 amp in a reasonably attractive package is heading into TGTBT territory, but may also be cheap enough to take a flyer on.

mcgsxr · « **Reply #30 on:** 24 Apr 2008, 12:59 pm »

I believe Lonewolf has that amp, or a variant of it, you might drop him a PM.

doug s. · « **Reply #31 on:** 24 Apr 2008, 01:33 pm »

Quote from: dwk on 24 Apr 2008, 12:44 pm

Not quite OT for the OP, but does anyone know anything about 'Music Angel' amps, specifically this one (MINIP14):

http://www.e-audio.net/servlet/Detail?no=13&sfs=7638e4

$350 shipped for a 15W EL84 amp in a reasonably attractive package is heading into TGTBT territory, but may also be cheap enough to take a flyer on.

the only thing "tgtbt" about that amp is that you can get it for <$200 shipped.

i owned one, & it's wery nice indeed.

if you are wanting to spend $350 shipped, look for the yaqin el84 amps, but you should still be able to beat the $350 price...

doug s.

BossaNova31 · « **Reply #32 on:** 7 May 2008, 03:16 am »

Thanks everyone for the advice.

I ended up buying a Red Wine modified Almarro 205A MKI from a fellow Audiocircle member and I must say that this is one honey of a little amp! Very musical and great synergy with my Omegas. Kind of makes me wonder why I spent thousands on high end 300b monoblocks

It's gonna be tough to hand this one over to my sister but at least I get to enjoy it for a while as I hunt for a set of Omega Super 3s