Tube amp and speaker purchase advice

[wboswell]

Just my opinion, but B&W's and HIGHLY overrated unless you are into mellow classical/jazz recordings.  Much better value from grresearch, vmps, vsa, just to name a few.

and i respect your opinion, as wrong as it is.

which part is wrong: B&W's are overrated unless you listen to mellow classical/jazz, that there are better values from other mfgs., or both?  I may not argue the mellow bit, but I would beg to differ on the better value 

[Daryan]

Just my opinion, but B&W's and HIGHLY overrated unless you are into mellow classical/jazz recordings.  Much better value from grresearch, vmps, vsa, just to name a few.

and i respect your opinion, as wrong as it is.

And I respect yours as as always.


I do not believe I have ever heard a tube amp before but am considering getting a dk designs mk3 signature soon.  If I am a detail freak, am I going to not like tubes?

[jpschust]

Just my opinion, but B&W's and HIGHLY overrated unless you are into mellow classical/jazz recordings.  Much better value from grresearch, vmps, vsa, just to name a few.

and i respect your opinion, as wrong as it is.

which part is wrong: B&W's are overrated unless you listen to mellow classical/jazz, that there are better values from other mfgs., or both?  I may not argue the mellow bit, but I would beg to differ on the better value 

i disagree with the b&w's being overrated- i think there are other good values out there, but the term value is highly subjective here.

[wboswell]

Obviously, some value their dollars differently than others, and others see value in speakers differently, but to clarify my opinion, I found that my dollar went further looking at other lines regarding  appearance in addition to sound.

[jpschust]

Obviously, some value their dollars differently than others, and others see value in speakers differently, but to clarify my opinion, I found that my dollar went further looking at other lines regarding  appearance in addition to sound.

i think it has a lot to do with the pairing of the amps and speakers.  for me, i couldnt find a better match for the mcintosh components than b&w nautilus speakers.  i couldnt find anything cleaner, clearer, or more detailed without getting into the 10k+ range.

[Mic D]

Honestly, if you want bass then solid state is your best bet.

Yeah, tube pre> SS amp is where it's at, Frank!

http://show.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/shm.pl?ampstran&1121643981&item&Sound_odyssey&4&5&6&http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fs_srch.plQQANYAAAApurlsrchAAEXYAAst26AAAAAAjolida

[Daryan]

Obviously, some value their dollars differently than others, and others see value in speakers differently, but to clarify my opinion, I found that my dollar went further looking at other lines regarding  appearance in addition to sound.

i think it has a lot to do with the pairing of the amps and speakers.  for me, i couldnt find a better match for the mcintosh components than b&w nautilus speakers.  i couldnt find anything cleaner, clearer, or more detailed without getting into the 10k+ range.

Fair enough, it's just my opinion, albeit an educated one.  Speakers are like taping gear, everyone has their personal tastes.  Has anyone heard the new 800 series diamond tweeters yet? 

[jpschust]

Obviously, some value their dollars differently than others, and others see value in speakers differently, but to clarify my opinion, I found that my dollar went further looking at other lines regarding  appearance in addition to sound.

i think it has a lot to do with the pairing of the amps and speakers.  for me, i couldnt find a better match for the mcintosh components than b&w nautilus speakers.  i couldnt find anything cleaner, clearer, or more detailed without getting into the 10k+ range.

Fair enough, it's just my opinion, albeit an educated one.  Speakers are like taping gear, everyone has their personal tastes.  Has anyone heard the new 800 series diamond tweeters yet? 

I took a listen to them last week- detailed is a good word for them.  They are decently fast and accurate.  I am just not trained enough to really hear that diamond tweeter in comparison to the tweeters in mine.

[Nick Culbreth]

Anyone heard the PrimaLuna stuff?  Stereophile fluffed them, but Upscale Audio also places lots of ads, so who knows?  I'd like some "other" opinions...

I have a Prima Luna Prologue One and I love it.  I think I gave a full review in this forum at some point but I'm too lazy to go looking for it.   

I can't really comment about the low end since my MMGs are a little lacking in that area but the mids are silky smooth and the highs are very clear and defined.  One really nice feature of the Prima Lunas is that they self bias.  I really like the amp and have no intentions of replacing it anytime in the near future.

[BobW]

Just my opinion, but B&W's and HIGHLY overrated unless you are into mellow classical/jazz recordings.  Much better value from grresearch, vmps, vsa, just to name a few.

and i respect your opinion, as wrong as it is.

And I respect yours as as always.


I do not believe I have ever heard a tube amp before but am considering getting a dk designs mk3 signature soon.  If I am a detail freak, am I going to not like tubes?

Start thinking high end solid state, Levinson, Krell, Plinius and I'll bet that you'd like the Portal Panache...

Tube amps are rarely described as detailed, articulate, critical, or accurate.
The closest are pure class A OTL balanced designs.  Hard to find.
They also sacrifice some of the very qualities that endear us to tube sound.