HIFI Advices please read

^ Thanks Dean.......I know NAD is good stuff...looking into that, although I see their int amps do not have a phono input, at least the ones I looked at.

^ Interesting......make an arguement for a non-tube setup, which is ok as they are pricey. Jolida I see only sold thru dealers, so I pay a pretty good markup probably...upwards of 50% is my guess, is it worth it?

I tell everybody all i know....Jolida 302 is a fantastic amp
(from USA) that costs around 1000 dollars and compare to
the best tube amps and so anything else...

An absolute reference

Of course you can use two using it as mono block, one for each canal

It's not about look at all...
I talk about empiric things that everybody who comes at home
(or at some frien's home as well) can experience; there's no need for gold-plated ears. My system "pushes walls", there's no distorsion at all, we feel at the heart of the sound and the lows are incredible, the
highs and extreme sing incredibly, you rediscover any disc.
You'd be happy to hear how CD works (it's possible)but it's because it's Tube in the mid/highs and that the system is over optimized at all levels...

OK MOS FET are better on the paper. But a great one billion solid-state system always sound cold, flat, harsh in the mid-highs compared to Tube.
It's something that every honest people may certify. So this means that
figures, measurements don't reflect the result, the musicality of any device. this is something that has to be experienced, that's all i can say.

Tube amps mesure less good than solidstate but are 100X times more musical in the mid highs/highs/extreme high which is spectum part to
which we're the most "sensible" (in french)

However, solid state is unbeatable for low/extreme low.

But if you have to have only one integrated amp, it must be tube...
and then you can add a good sub for low and extreme low.

That's why the logic is to perform bi amplification. And it works.
You can even do "tri amplification" adding a sub for extreme low.
That's the royal way, including a preamp and a good source.

PS: yes the output transformer is very important in the sound, so is
power in general so that's why we audiophiles, work on it




Edited by oliverstoned - March 02 2011 at 13:28

OK...anyway i don't consider a musical system without tubes in the highs or full tubes...a big system with only solid state amplification is a joke. Even the best solid state sound cold, electronic in the mid/highs.

If you have plenty of money, sell back the Bose and go for an ambitious system with bi amplification (tubes in the highs, solid state in the low + sub (so, almost tri-amp)). Almost nobody will advice that, but believe me or not, this is the royal way, because tubes are incredible in the mid/highs and highs but slightly round in the extreme low.

Paravion wrote: oliverstoned wrote: I like this attitude.I'm not really into hi-fi as such, maybe because of money issues - and I always prefer to buy vinyl more than equipment.  I LOVE old reel-to-reel machines though. I recently bought myself such a piece for almost no money complete with original accessories - from 1964, and it works perfectly!   Anyway - I might be interested in an affordable integrated tube amplifier (max. 2000$) - can you recommend any?

A good tapedeck or reel-to-reel is a wonderful source, like a big tuner or of course, a good vinyl deck.

As you're located in europa, the answer to your question is easy:
Prima Luna. The good news is that it's less than 2000€!
It let you a good amount of money for optimization (cables, cancelling vibration devices, etc...) and/or maybe a cheap musical CD player (a second hand Nad, Rega or Naim is between 150 and 500€).

Not only Prima luna is affordable, well designed, highly musical and neutral but it also features a unique and very convenient auto-bias
system which automatically set your tubes (otherwise it has to be done manually each time you replace a tube).


Here's a model suited to your needs:
http://www.primaluna.nl/products_subpage1a2.htm

If you use it alone, without solid state power amplification for low end (bi amplification), you have to pair it with speakers with a minimum of 90db of sensitivity. This amp is "only" 40W, but 40W tubes easily equals 70 to 80 solid state Watts.


I precise that i'm myself the happy owner of a Prima Luna Prologue Four
(stereo power amp that i use with a passive Rotel Michi preamp, the whole help by a Sub Magna Omega 380). I warmly recommend this brand,
along with "Jolida" (extremely musical). You can also consider "Cayin" in the same league but it's a little more expensive and slightly less neutral but still very musical.

Edited by oliverstoned - March 02 2011 at 09:34

^ Which attitude is that - the one of trying to bully dissenters into keeping out of the threads?

when i say "cheap", it depends on the model.

If you want solid state amplification, something dynamic, muscular, reliable and still musical, deafinetly a Rotel setup

preamp choice

http://www.rotel.com/NA/products/index.htm?cat=29

power amp choice

http://www.rotel.com/NA/products/index.htm?cat=30

Yes, you'll need a sub as well for such a big room;
at least a 38cm (15 inches) diameter to obtain real extreme low.

Recommended brand: Sunfire

http://www.sunfire.com/products.asp



Edited by oliverstoned - March 01 2011 at 09:46

Dean wrote: oliverstoned wrote: I'll not post anything anymore in the Tech talk section to avoid sterile polemics with jealous and/or ignorant people who think that they can make music out of a computer or that CD is superior to vinyl or that 24 bits technology solve all digital's musical issues, etc... Phew, lucky I didn't qualify for any of those.

Edited by Mr ProgFreak - February 28 2011 at 12:36