tubes tubes tubes

[nandac]

long time since I wrote anything here.

was thinking about a second bedroom system and so suddenly developed an interest in tubes.

mostly to hear at nights - soft rock, jazz, folk etc - in a medium size room.

I am currently in Singapore and so had a chance to check out rougue audio, jolida, primaluna, unison research etc.

then in a shop in Adelphi came upon a pre-owned Japanese single ended 8 watt class A tube amp - costs more than a brand new naim nait 5 which I bought a few months back.

this is a 300B tube amp versus 88kt etc.

will this work for what I am looking for?

will it be difficult to find matching speakers?

and there is also a jadis orchestra on sale for a similar amount. would that be a better choice?

this is my first foray into tubes and so don't know too much. would appreciate insights from knowledgeable members.

 

[ranjeetrain]

300B is a nice tube. Ask the seller to take out the tubes and test them in front of you. If the tubes are okay and the amp is in generally good condition it won't disappoint you.

Finding matching speakers won't be difficult. 8 watts of tube class A is a lot of power.

 

[ghatgepatil]

Try them, they are in Singapore too!

AHFartaudio > Speakers > Fostex

 

[nandac]

>Ask the seller to take out the tubes and test them in front of you.

how are the tubes to be tested by themselves? even if there a problem with the tube, can't it be easily replaced?

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

You make it sound a bit too much like a light bulb! A tube is like a light bulb in that it does have a finite life, and yes, it can be removed and replaced, but that's where the similarity ends. Some of them are expensive. Some of them come in matched sets. I don't know much about tubes ...but I know a man that does:

Being in Singapore, I'd suggest to contact Dr.Bass. He's very much aware of the scene, sellers, dealers, etc. He even has recent experience of the transition from Naim to high-end tube. He experimented and auditioned a lot to get to where he is now.

 

[nandac]

dr bass! yea it was on his recommendation I went naim. ok will touch base with him regarding tubes as well. thanks.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

will touch base with him regarding tubes as well

Give him my best wishes

Be prepared for some serious tubeenvy :lol:

 

[captrajesh]

8 watts of tube class A is a lot of power.

Correction; Only if it is SET and not PP.

 

[IndianEars]

The 300B tube sound is very different from Naim sound..... Indian spice (Naim) vs French cooking (300B) !

Make sure its what you want.

Also with flea powered amps such as this, the decision Must be made COLLECTIVLY for the Amp + Speakers.

Just buying the amp now is not a good idea IMHO. The power will be too low for almost 50% of speakers in the market.

Unless you are after the 300B sound .... which I am not sure about since you also flirting with a Jadis.

Careful about Jardis,,,, some of their amps are not very reliable
I would suggest the Prima Luna Prologue 2 as a Great (KT88) pwer amp to cut your teeth on. It will drive most speakers ( 35 watts ) and is very reliable. i owned it for 2 years and now a friend has it for more than an additional 3 years...

All The Best !

 

[square_wave]

I have always wondered about Primaluna as a brand. From what I can see on their site, they seem to have a very professional manufacturing process. Point to point wiring, very high quality parts, circuit design practices that seem to be on par with some of the best out there etc..etc

I wonder how they sound in comparison to the best out there.

 

[nandac]

the guy who sells primaluna in Singapore does not stock prologue. he only sells the higher end models.

I think I will go for the triode 300b amp.

but the matching speaker hunt will be more difficult I think. I only buy bookshelves, and not sure if I can get horn bookshelves - apparently horn speakers are the ideal match for 300b. appreciate speaker suggestions for 300b.

btw I have a set of dynaudio x12s which apparently were designed to be powered by most amps. wonder how they will pair up with the 300b.

 

[afj]

imo dont worry whether its a tube amp or an ss. go for something that sounds good to you

 

[ranjeetrain]

Careful about Jardis,,,, some of their amps are not very reliable

Can you elaborate on that?

I just passed a real sweet deal on a set of Jadis pre + mono-blocks combo, which now I regret. But it will be nice to know if there is something specific to know about Jadis.

 

[reignofchaos]

the guy who sells primaluna in Singapore does not stock prologue. he only sells the higher end models.

I think I will go for the triode 300b amp.

but the matching speaker hunt will be more difficult I think. I only buy bookshelves, and not sure if I can get horn bookshelves - apparently horn speakers are the ideal match for 300b. appreciate speaker suggestions for 300b.

btw I have a set of dynaudio x12s which apparently were designed to be powered by most amps. wonder how they will pair up with the 300b.

Dyns including the x12s will need either solid state or a high powered tube push pulls. Flea powered 300b amps won't cut in. Dyns go very well with Octave. You might want to audition them.