I want to get a tube amp for my stereo

[FALKEN]

I'm not really into Hi-Fi or anything but lately I have been wanting to get a tube amp for listening to the stereo. I've looked on Manley's site and they are $$$!! Anyone have experience with this stuff and know where the good value is at?

 

[_DK]

If you look on Ebay, the cheaper ones would be from China. I've never tried 'em, so I'd don't know.
From my own experience, I'd recommend Dynaco. There's many models... something like PAS3 from late 60s would go for around $200.

 

[dementedchord]

if your remotely good with a soldering iron... i'ld check into the kits you see in stereophile and those kindsa mags... try googleing for kits too maybe??? another thing ya might try... when i was in the stereo biz i would often keep track of customers with shit for sale (so they could buy more)... so check with the local hi end shops and get to know the sales guys....

 

[marshman]

I have built several of these projects. (I have a pair of eiclones for sale). They sound incredible and are not all that difficult to build if you have a knack for that sort of thing.

www.diytube.com

mm

 

[evm1024]

garage sales on the cheap

Hit all the garage sales for an old tube amp (Sometimes even a mac shows up).

Do you want real tubes or tube sound? The reason that I ask is that the Carver transfer series of power amps have been made to sound exactly like some expensive tube amps. The M 1.0t, M1.5t etc. The key here is the t (for transfer) at the end of the model number.

Typically Carver would do a side by side test of his amp to the (Mark Levenson for example) tube amp with the outputs inversly summed.

The output of the tube amp minus the output of the transistor amp should be zero for any given input IF the two amps sound the same. Carver was very good at making his amps sound like the reference amp.

Regards