We had fun. Rich knows how to listen!

I had the same thoughts as you a couple of years ago and went from solid state to tubes. I’ve had a couple of newer tube amps but to me many of them sound very much as a solid state amplifier. I’ve had Line magnetic, primaluna evo and Copland. My audio friend lent me a Dynaco Pas 2/Stereo 35 combo. And together with a Klipsch Forte it has unreal musicality! I had very preconceived opinions about older gear but it is really superb. So for me this gives me 1)That warm jazz sound I like 2) A preamp and power amp is better overall than a integrated amp, much more control 3) cheaper alternative and more money for records. Thanks for a very informative channel and good luck with your hifi journey!

I’ve cycled through a ton of vintage equipment and have finally settled on an mx110z tube Mcintosh preamp paired with a Mc2120 solid state power amp. (120wpc). Now THAT is the way to go. Love having the extra power, the tube preamp is really where the “tube” sound and midrange comes from. But honestly great speakers are 95% of the sound quality you hear in your setup.

Excited for your journey! I really enjoy learning about system matching and system synergy too! I drove my speakers and cables for an hour and a half to a dealer to audition them with a few integrated amps before I made my purchase. Take your time. Do your homework and audition. I enjoyed your sincere video -we need to keep sharing and learning!

My main system is a Yamaha A-S3200 with Zu Audio DW6 speakers and I'm very pleased with it for vinyl, CDs and cassettes. But in my secondary rig I replaced my old Adcom amp and B&K preamp with a Yamaha A-S301 basically for streaming and recording cassettes. That system has Wharfedale Diamond 12.0 speakers which are awesome little units for the money. I recently bought my first tube amp from Drop that I ran across shopping for headphones. It's a Cayin MT-12N EL84EH integrated amp rated at only 10 wpc. I was worried about it running the 12.0s since they are rated at 85 dB and a minimum of 20 watts, and so I was considering getting some Klipsch speakers. But I soon found out my doubts were unfounded, as the amp works perfectly and the bass is amazing. I am now considering a bigger tube amp for my main system so I can switch between tube and solid state. I wish I hadn't waited so long to give tubes a try.

Tube gear I’ve heard sounded holographic but softer to me than solid state. I enjoy Jazz drum solos on my restored Pioneer SX 1250😊

You’re a wealth of knowledge, Rich! Unfortunately, I am too young and too broke to explore the audiophile world 😂. I’ve always admired your patience, lack of complacency, and pursuit for great playback whether that’s in your gear or your records! I’m excited for you and can’t wait to see what the future holds!

Maybe DecWare tube amps? Made in USA, not too expensive, point to point wiring.. rave reviews, lifetime warranty. Can be a long wait though.

I enjoyed hearing about your discussion into Tubes in this video. I have this small Vincent Audio SV-200 hybrid integrated amp paired with some Klipsch bookshelves that have opened my ears up to a full blown Tube system in the media room I am building. When I saw you post pics of the Heretic AD614 loudspeakers and the Triode Labs amp I was pleasantly surprised and shocked as that is the exact combo I am looking to purchase. Definitely pricey but I'm looking for a warm sound that doesn't have to be bass heavy. It has to feel real and connect me to the music at this point.

What a cool T! Sharing my experience when I decided to buy new modern gear after a couple of decades using silver face amps, I did fall in an anxious hole for awhile. It seems that the vintage gear was designed to add coloration to make Lo-Fi recordings sound as good as they could vs modern equipment being much more neutral since modern music is much better recorded. I spin a lot of alternative indie records and that ruined my listening experience. However, I found after experimenting with components in my chain that you can compensate the lack of tone in the setup. Meaning not only speakers/amp, but all of them. I don’t buy high end gear but I would expect the same effect as long as you are aware that the most relevant components are the ones after the source. If I want to add a bit of rumble in bass I want to make sure my phono preamp does it, otherwise no matter what cartridge I use, the bass may get cut a bit. I was able to add wider soundstage and a bit of treble sparkle to a laidback sounding Sumiko Rainier with an affordable Pluto 2 Phono preamp

I have the same Wharfedale speakers and run them with a PrimaLuna tube integrated with no problem. I guess it depends on the size of the room and volume levels.

Great video, very concise, I’m going through the same process , have and audiolab 6000 integrated amp Marantz TT15s1 maestro mm cart, turntable built by clear audio, fir Marantz, just purchased a Project Tube box ds2 , phono preamp Hopefully it’ll bring out a tube sound , also running a pair of vintage Klipsch heresy’s 🇨🇦 Regsrds Lorenz Cheaper route than purchasing tube amp at this point Anyway , great video , enjoy the journey ,

Love the Mac OS Tee! Good luck on your journey. I too have really been thinking hard about switching to tube gear but have settled on a tube preamp for now. Gives me some tubey sound without breaking the bank or changing out my speakers.

What is characteristic tube sound? Plumby overly warm? Almost ss like arc? Middle ground like VTL? Which tubes are ya running both pre amp and power section. The shared characteristic of tube gear is the 3d presentation. After that, like anything else in audio, it becomes a matter of taste and system synergy

Maybe try biamping, tube amplifier for mids/ Tweeter and solid state for bass. i use an MC 901 amplifier for McIntosh because I wanted to do it, I think it's working out quite well. This was an upgrade from an MC 611 solid state pair of monos which are now collecting dust because I don't wanna get rid of them. Now im the proud parent of 28 tubes.

To enjoy tube system, first you need the right speakers for that type of tube equipment and second, no matter how full range speaker is, you need dual subs voiced in a way to ensure they disappear in the room. Also, it’s essential to have a phono preamp/amp, not just a line stage. I own one of the best solid state system, but I shifted to tube about 3 years ago, upgraded tubes, and when I go back to SS, my backup system, I lose the joy of music experience. I recommend an integrated tube amp as a starter but separate phono. I wish I lived close to Ken so I could visit with him, he’s a wealth of knowledge in jazz, I love his reviews. Thank you for the great video!

I'd reconsider the Luxman from Japan. You will need a voltage converter and that is less than optimal in an audio application. Also, 10 watts really limits your speaker options. In your price range, you will be limited to a very narrow range of options, and even Klipsch will be better served with more than 10 watts. Another note: more important than the efficiency of the speakers, in terms of the amp's ability to drive them, is the impedance. If you try to drive a 90dB 4ohm speaker with a 10 watt amp, you will be disappointed with the results. Underpowering speakers also poses some risk to the drivers. As the amp works harder to drive the speaker, it produces more signal distortion. This distortion, or clipping, can cause damage to the speaker. If you have a 90dB 16ohm speaker with the same amp, it will be a much better match, though still a bit underpowered imho. Lastly, all the notions about what tube amps deliver in sound or need in a speaker is really dependent on the design. Generalizations simply do not apply. Same with SS. I have low wattage tube amps as well as high wattage. I also have a class A SS amp and it sounds much more tube-like than my high wattage tube setup. My hybrid tube pre/SS power shares some characteristics of all of them. The reality is that all topologies are capable of producing great sound if implemented properly. A note about the soundstage. It is very much dependent on the location of the speakers in the room, as well as the listener's position. Before spending money on a tube setup in hopes of more soundstage depth, try moving the speakers out from the wall. they need to be in the room more than what I can see from the video. Then, play with your position relative to the speakers. Go to extremes. Sit very close for a near field listening experience. Sit further back. Sit on the floor. Just experiment. Imaging and soundstaging are most influenced by setup, not gear. Hope this is of some help.

cool confession Rich, echoing what many of us are thinking or have thought over the years. I feel tube presentation is somehow closer to the music, something about harmonics I think but I also enjoy my vintage solid state. I wouldnt fear trying vintage tube amps, if they have been properly serviced they are incredibly reliable. Also for speakers have you heard any vintage Tannoys? they are incredible for jazz and pair well with tubes or SS. The bigger the better for natural sounding bass but some stand mounts to look out for would be Eaton, Devon, SRM10, SRM12, LGM10, LGM12 or System 10 or System 12 from the DMT series.

After decades of experience with solid state, and tubes. I have found that I prefer tubes into the audio mix. I have also found that class D amplifiers have come a long way. They now rival class A/B amplifiers. I feel that within the next 10yrs class D amplifiers will surpass the best of what class A amplifiers, and class A/B amplifiers can deliver. Class D is very clean, and very efficient. Class D amplifiers are very dynamic. I do like the combination of a nice class D amplifier, and a tube preamplifier/tube buffer. Why can't you have your cake, and eat it too?

And yeah… very high sensitivity- Klipsch, Zu Audio, etc. my Zu speakers are about 99db and no crossovers (just a capacitor). When I decide to buy a tube amp.. the Zu speakers should work well- rven with 3 to 5 wpc flea amps

Tonal variance between tube & solid-state amplifiers has less to do with whether or not there are tubes, & a whole lot more to do with the basic design of the circuit: which capacitors/resistors/transformers/etc are used, & how they're all arranged to affect the signal.

You may want to look at a nice tube phono stage or preamp to pair with your solid state amp. It really can be the best of both worlds.

I’ve owned those Omega SAMs and used a 6 watt integrated by Analog Ethos. Small-medium living room. It was a wonderful combo, BUT I will admit, the one reason I upgraded was because of the speaker footprint. See, the best stands for them are by Skylan, and they kind of dominated by living room after pulling them out from front wall. Anyway, Omegas are great speakers. Recommended.

Before you purchase go listen to a rogue they have two that are affordable that are high line. I am highly recommended that I think you should look at and they’re affordable and they’re all handmade here in Philadelphia rogue that’s it.

Well I’m more spurt than expert but what Ive learned is: A rise of 3db is perceived by human hearing as a doubling of the previous sound level. Therefore a 10w pc amp with 85db w/m will give you plenty of volume in an average room (esp. considering sound > 85db can be harmful) and bass reproduction is as much or more influenced by the room than by the speakers. The story about how the amp /driver relationship was developed seems about face. What I believe really happened was with SS manufacturers could increase profits by selling very hi watt amps with less expensive to make low sens. drivers. In fact it’s cost cutting for profit that drives innovation in consumer orientated goods and they let advertising propaganda take care of the buyers perception. I can't understand your fear of vintage tho. At present I use vac valve gear and speakers from the 1950’s without any concerns and its gear that would probably be prohibitively expensive if manufactured today, from the golden age where the market was limited so products had to be of a very high standard to survive and were made with pride to last a lifetime or in practice many lifetimes :-) Good video well presented thanks.

that is a gray market luxman and will not have a warranty in the US.

You have to be aware of the voltage difference if you're looking to buy from Japan

My opinion is the difference matters solid state is the only way I will ever go,maintenance alone is one of the reasons,and you will never get the dynamic range and power that brings out inner details at low volumes,if you want to mix a tube preamp with a solid state amp might be the way to go,but power solid state is the only way,near field listening with small speakers you can go tubes when volume is not a concern but if you want a real live performance absolute sound solid state is your only option

Just curious, have you ever been to SkyFi audio?

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