Tanmoy: Entry Level Audiophile

[tanmoysarma]

Hello All,

I am Tanmoy Sharma from Bengaluru and i am building my own Hifi. I am looking for an awesome looking Tube Amp at around 50k. Which can drive my basic dayton audio b652s. I know i can get good IC based amps but tube amp is preferred for cosmetic reasons.

Let me know if you guys/gals can point me to any direction.

Appreciate the response. Have a good one mates.

Regards,
Tanmoy Sharma

 

[panditji]

Lyrita Audio in Delhi..

 

[arj]

Hello All,

I am Tanmoy Sharma from Bengaluru and i am building my own Hifi. I am looking for an awesome looking Tube Amp at around 50k. Which can drive my basic dayton audio b652s. I know i can get good IC based amps but tube amp is preferred for cosmetic reasons.

Let me know if you guys/gals can point me to any direction.

Appreciate the response. Have a good one mates.

Regards,
Tanmoy Sharma

What are the specs for the speaker Tanmoysarma ? Not all speakers can be driven by all amps and tube friendly speakers usually are designed to keep the load low.

 

[robin3989]

Which can drive my basic dayton audio b652s

Looks like these speakers have 6 ohm impedance and are 87dB efficient. Tube amps typically have higher output impedance. So, you may not get the best performance from these speakers, as you expect from a highly efficient speaker design connected to a tube amp.

 

[tanmoysarma]

What are the specs for the speaker Tanmoysarma ? Not all speakers can be driven by all amps and tube friendly speakers usually are designed to keep the load low.

Hey Arj,

This is what I got from Google:

Woofer: 6-1/2" polypropylene • Tweeter: 1" x 1" mini AMT • Power handling: 40 watts RMS/75 watts max • Impedance: 6 ohms • Frequency response: 70-25,000 Hz • Sensitivity: 87 dB 1W/1m • Dimensions: 11-13/16" x 7-1/16" W x 6-7/16" D • (2) 20 AWG 9.5 ft.

Thanks
Tanmoy

Looks like these speakers have 6 ohm impedance and are 87dB efficient. Tube amps typically have higher output impedance. So, you may not get the best performance from these speakers, as you expect from a highly efficient speaker design connected to a tube amp.

Hello Robin3989,

Oh So i will need to change my speakers to be able to use Tube Amps ?

Regards
Tanmoy

Lyrita Audio in Delhi..

Thanks Panditji,

This is great, Do you have more such shops?

Thanks
Tanmoy.

 

[Deleted member 15865]

Hello Robin3989,

Oh So i will need to change my speakers to be able to use Tube Amps ?

Regards
Tanmoy

Or you can go for a tube preamp (that meets your cosmetic requirements) and hook it to a SS power amp.

However, it’s rare to desire a tube amp just for cosmetic reasons. Most choose a tube interface for the harmonics (resulting in sweet mids).

 

[robin3989]

Hello Robin3989,

Oh So i will need to change my speakers to be able to use Tube Amps ?

Regards
Tanmoy

Not really.! You can choose a higher watt tube amp in that case. But beware that more watts cost more money as tube amps don't usually come with excellent watt figures. Experts may suggest you a brand/model.

 

[arj]

Hey Arj,

This is what I got from Google:

Woofer: 6-1/2" polypropylene • Tweeter: 1" x 1" mini AMT • Power handling: 40 watts RMS/75 watts max • Impedance: 6 ohms • Frequency response: 70-25,000 Hz • Sensitivity: 87 dB 1W/1m • Dimensions: 11-13/16" x 7-1/16" W x 6-7/16" D • (2) 20 AWG 9.5 ft.

Thanks
Tanmoy

While specs are deceptive, not sure if you will get a tube amp in your budget with the power needed I think Lyrita goes upto 30-40 W and perhaps deserves a better speaker. I have no clue of the speaker and no idea how it sounds, and if you plan to retain the speaker the question you will need to answer would be if the amp would be worth spending so much on ? eg from amazon i got it as a 50-100$ speaker hence a 600 dollar amp can be an overkill.

while there are lots of theories and each can be questioned, a typical guideline to follow is 40-50% of budget on speaker, 20-30% in source, 20-25% on amplification and around 5% on cables etc to balance the system.. As I said, all of these are arguable and there is no right answer but gives a guidance on how you can look at this from a budget

Of course if you plan to upgrade the speaker in the future then get a best amp you can now and choose your speaker later with time.

 

[tanmoysarma]

While specs are deceptive, not sure if you will get a tube amp in your budget with the power needed I think Lyrita goes upto 30-40 W and perhaps deserves a better speaker. I have no clue of the speaker and no idea how it sounds, and if you plan to retain the speaker the question you will need to answer would be if the amp would be worth spending so much on ? eg from amazon i got it as a 50-100$ speaker hence a 600 dollar amp can be an overkill.

while there are lots of theories and each can be questioned, a typical guideline to follow is 40-50% of budget on speaker, 20-30% in source, 20-25% on amplification and around 5% on cables etc to balance the system.. As I said, all of these are arguable and there is no right answer but gives a guidance on how you can look at this from a budget

Of course if you plan to upgrade the speaker in the future then get a best amp you can now and choose your speaker later with time.

Thanks Arj,

Good suggestion. As of now I do not have plans to change the speakers maybe in future. I will settle for a budget IC amplifier this time.

Hypotheticaly if in future i have a better budget, What speaker and tube amp duo would you might suggest?

Regards,
Tanmoy.

Not really.! You can choose a higher watt tube amp in that case. But beware that more watts cost more money as tube amps don't usually come with excellent watt figures. Experts may suggest you a brand/model.

Spoke to a dealer in Delhi, they dont have Tube amps below 1.5lakh. So I guess i ll have to go for a higher budget.

Regards,
Tanmoy

Or you can go for a tube preamp (that meets your cosmetic requirements) and hook it to a SS power amp.

However, it’s rare to desire a tube amp just for cosmetic reasons. Most choose a tube interface for the harmonics (resulting in sweet mids).

That is a great idea. Would you might suggest any tube preamplifiers i can check out?

Regards,
Tanmoy.

 

[arj]

Thanks Arj,

Good suggestion. As of now I do not have plans to change the speakers maybe in future. I will settle for a budget IC amplifier this time.

Hypotheticaly if in future i have a better budget, What speaker and tube amp duo would you might suggest?

Regards,
Tanmoy.

I would suggest you get a stereo receiver which has a source+ Amp+ maybe a tuner as well. eg Hifimart has a Marantz or denon one for 40K. ticks all the boxes and will also work if you upgrade the speaker later,

 

[Deleted member 15865]

That is a great idea. Would you might suggest any tube preamplifiers i can check out?

Regards,
Tanmoy.

Schiit, Lyrita, Acoustic Portrait, Anode Acoustic, Yaqin - there are a number of threads on each. Do read through and assess against your needs and budget.

 

[Hassan Khani]

Check this model https://acousticportrait.com/product/swara-integrated-amplifier/ from acoustic portrait. Being in Bangalore you can carry your speaker for audition with this amp.

 

[tanmoysarma]

Check this model https://acousticportrait.com/product/swara-integrated-amplifier/ from acoustic portrait. Being in Bangalore you can carry your speaker for audition with this amp.

Hello Hassan,

This is a great suggestion. It has a great toroidal transformer which i was told be good for difficult to drive speakers. Correct me if am wrong. It appears to be a bit of an overkill on my speakers. My fallback amp of choice is Marantz pm5005. Let me know you thoughts.

Thanks
Tanmoy

 

[Hassan Khani]

Having multiple variables will lead to difficult in deciding. Considering no speaker change try to get an amp which you wont have to change for many years. So have an audio with your current speakers with their amp and decide whether it is of your liking or not. If you like the amp then you can also audition some of their speakers which will give you an idea of same amp with different speakers performance. In case you decide to change speaker later this will be indication what you could expect. Also another advantage of buying from Bangalore based company is service would be easy and peace of mind.

 

[Mohanv]

"Or you can go for a tube preamp (that meets your cosmetic requirements) and hook it to a SS power amp.

However, it’s rare to desire a tube amp just for cosmetic reasons. Most choose a tube interface for the harmonics (resulting in sweet mids)."


Good avice from SachinChavan. Cost effective as well. If you do not play LPs, then you could consider Grounded Grid preamp from Transcendent Audio. Bruce's 6AS7/6080 OTL is very nice and reliable. OTLs are the kings of tube amps.. Mind you, OTLs need tweaking once or twice a year. Consider power outpt around 30W and not more.

Another source for OTLs is Croft Audio from England. I have not listened to any of his amps.

Regards,
Mohan
9th May, 2020

 

[tanmoysarma]

"Or you can go for a tube preamp (that meets your cosmetic requirements) and hook it to a SS power amp.

However, it’s rare to desire a tube amp just for cosmetic reasons. Most choose a tube interface for the harmonics (resulting in sweet mids)."


Good avice from SachinChavan. Cost effective as well. If you do not play LPs, then you could consider Grounded Grid preamp from Transcendent Audio. Bruce's 6AS7/6080 OTL is very nice and reliable. OTLs are the kings of tube amps.. Mind you, OTLs need tweaking once or twice a year. Consider power outpt around 30W and not more.

Another source for OTLs is Croft Audio from England. I have not listened to any of his amps.

Regards,
Mohan
9th May, 2020

Thank you for your response.

I looked up the Model names you mentioned. Are these available in India ?

Regards,
Tanmoy.

 

[Mohanv]

Apologies. I am not sure that these are availble in India.

Regards
Mohan