[Gopher]

The JoLida 1501RC started my journey.  I'm a youngster...   

[hibuckhobby]

Audio Research VT60 and SP9.  If it would have a remote control
(lazy bones) I would still have both.
Hibuck...

[pansixt]

Look to the left. That little puny thing in the bottom of the picture. Dynakit ST70.
It was my first and still has the juice, 25 years later.

[Guy 13]

Hi all Audio Circle members.
This topic is called:
What was your first Tube gear?
Well my first tube gear was a mono tube amplifier that I built 45 years ago when I was 18 years old.
Unfortunately, that first attempt in the wonderful world of audio was thrown away when I bought my first stereo amplifier made by Sound audio company from Japan.
I draw the circuit on a piece of paper and then got all the parts from salvaged TV sets given to me by relatives and friends and I've soldered all the connections with my mighty powerful Weller soldering gun 100/140watts.
It worked and did not blow up the first time I trown on the switch.
No need to say that it sounded terrible...
I think I've used a 5U4 rectifier, a 6SN7 triode voltage amplifier and a 6F6 power pentode.
Good experience and good memories...
Guy 13



Sound Audio from Japan. When I write from Japan, I mean built in Japan. At that time, they were not subcontracted to the Chinese.
A 35 wpc solid state amplifier with a matching AM/FM tuner.
A Dual 1019 turntable with a Ortophon MM cartridge and a Sony Reel to reel tape deck.



My work bench. I know. What a mess...



 

[dangerbird]

ASL Wave 8 mono's,, punchy little buggers. 

[wywires]

A Conrad Johnson PV2 back in 1983. I bought it from a co-worker for $200 and that's what got me hooked on this silly hobby.

[SteveFord]

An Ampeg Gemini II and then a Marshall 100W stack as a kid and young man - my neighbors weren't all that fond of me.

For audio, it took forever until I bought a Sunfire Tube Preamp which was replaced with a Sonic Frontiers SFL-2.
All of the solid state gear went on the chopping block shortly thereafter.

I just remembered, the first piece of tube audio gear was a Jolida JD100 which replaced a Rega 2000 CD player and then came the Sunfire preamp. 

[doug s.]

my first tube gear was a rogue 99 magnum preamp.  it lasted not even a month in my system, replaced by a cary slp98-l.  that lasted only two weeks, replaced by a melos ma333r.  that has been upgraded twice, and has lasted over ten years, w/no replacement plans on the horizon.  i am not sure what i could get to replace it that has the versatility, (6 line inputs and two full tape loops), and sonic qualities, at anything close to being affordable...

doug s.

[Nels Ferre]

My first tube amp was a Heathkit AA-32 purchased from a neighbor for $12 when I was 11. It kept eating 6GW8 output tubes- sounded great when it worked right, though. I wish I still had it- I'd go though it, replace all of the out of spec parts, and run it occasionally.

At the time, t was so bad that it prompted me to purchase a Pioneer SX-550 receiver The Pioneer didn't sound as good, but it was reliable. When I upgraded to a Tandberg I gave it to my brother. It lasted my brother beyond grad school. It outlasted the Tandberg, too.

It wasn't until I was in my 30s that I got back into tube audio. I'm still at it.

[rollo]

  An Audio Research 6B preamp. Blew up. Ha. Got a Klyne SK5A after that. An AR DR 250 servo mk2 followeed to give life to Maggie 3As. tried some SS inbetween but always missed the tube sound.
  Today its Cyber 211 SET [ thanks Nels] and a Loesch and Wiesner Preamp. At one point we had 48 tubes in the system. Andy at vintage tube service loved us..

charles

[zybar]

It was from a company that is long out of business...Caztech.

The amp was very similar to Golden Tube audio amp from that period (mid 90's) that used 6L6 power tubes and 6SN7 input tubes to produce roughly 40 watts.  I used this amp with a pair of Coincident Conquests for a really nice introduction to the magic of tubes.

This isn't my unit, but here is a picture of the amp:





George

[zybar]

Good times all, but like many others, I've settled in with my Atma. I don't see it going anywhere, except to Ralph for some eventual upgrades.

Same here.

Just got in a fully loaded Atma-Sphere MP-1 preamp (on loan from a very cool and generous AC member) to mate with Atma-Sphere MA-1 amps and it is just knocking my socks off!  Pricey...but boy does it deliver the goods!

With the MP-1 in my system, I am now running 59 tubes in my system!!!  The electric company must be very happy.

George

[roscoeiii]

George,

I know I shouldn't get tempted, but I've still got to ask what the addition of the Atma pre is giving you in your system...

[zybar]

George,

I know I shouldn't get tempted, but I've still got to ask what the addition of the Atma pre is giving you in your system...

I'll start a different thread later today for MP-1.

George

[Demarche]

My interest in tubes was set very early. My parents had an old Silvertone tube radio that I thought was just the coolest thing ever. But for audio I didn't get my first piece of tube gear until ~6 years ago. A Cary SLP 88 pre-amp. Still using it with a ss amp and loving it. Haven't made the switch to tubes on the power amp, but I do keep an eye out for the Rocket 88 amp to match up the pre.

[rbwalt]

my first tube gear was a music reference rm5mk2 pre-amp and a music reference rm9mk2 amp. the pre-amp came first and i had it for over 15yrs with out any problems. then came the amp which i had for 11yrs.just a few problems like a bad gain switch and lose driver tube sockets on the PC board. a known problem as a result of much tube rolling. all in all great gear for the $$$ and they still are if you can find them in very good shape and working well( not all butchered up).

when these left my possession a rm9se took the place of the rm9mk2. the se is truly a great amp. only 18 or 19 were ever built by roger. the pre-amp was replaced by a joule electra 150mk2 since witch has been upgraded to the se version.the joule is a great line stage and is going to be very hard to beat at its price or even beyond till you get to its bigger brother the 300me. to give you a idea the rm9se goes for 8k( if roger has any left) and the se line stage goes for 6500 or 6700 $. the me goes for over 11k. i post this so as to help one who may be in the market for new gear and would like some feed back on how they are.with so much stuff out on the market( some great and others not so good) these days i think it is nice to know how other products stack up.

hope this helps.

rob.

[JohnR]

Dynaco ST-70!

[versus rider]

Marshal 20w valve amp 1969 loud enough for any pub gig, why bands feel they need a drum kit miked is beyond me. Hi Fi, 25w valve hybrid Mistral chinese amp, still using it today, since then bottlehead paramours 2A3 and J Sound labs 300B. I also had a chinese EL34 35w but was far too loud for my horns.

My route to tubes started in the 90s with an old Fender Princeton guitar amp from the 60s. I LOVED that amp, and still do. My journey into a tubed audio system began almost 10 years ago with the purchase of a pair of Wright 2A3 monos...went from a 125 watts/channel Aragon amp driving Martin Logan Arius speakers to the 3.5 watts/channel Wrights driving a homemade pair of Terry Cain's bigger-is-better horns with Radio Shack 40-1354 full range drivers. Never looked back ; - )

[eclein]

#1 Grant Fidelity Tube DAC-09
#2 -Musical Paradise MP-301...6 watts x 2= awesome, had it a month, best
  $150 I've spent...proved to me it's more about efficiency then raw power. I figure over 10 watts in my cave is a waste. YRMV ...

[kg4big]

Anthem Integrated 1.  I still have it.