They’re no doubt nice, but man oh man, those prices are dear! Least expense amp looks to be $14k
I had a 300B-XLS SET for a couple of years. It was a tube mid life crisis. With 91dB speakers the bass was like a slug in the gut with a wet lettuce. Otherwise, lovely.
The best amplifier I ever heard was the Trilogy 995R into Wilson and they do an integrated Trilogy 925. I’d get it in a heartbeat.
Ha that’s funny - lot of that around
I was lucky, my “valve phase” was 1980 - 1990 when they were cheap!
Yes. I was raised on my Dad’s Dynaco and got back into tubed audio after years with a Proton setup in '87 with the purchase of a '59 EICO stereo integrated.
Thanks, but I don’t think that makes much sense. If I was going to use a high power, extremely nice sounding, integrated, then I might just as well stick with my Gryphon Diablo 300.
I was super lucky - bought a pair of late 50s Beam Echo DL7-35s for a tenner (10 UK pounds).
Beautiful amps, wish I had them now.
They sell for tens of thousands in some markets now if you can find one.
Sold mine (they were in need by then of total refurb) for a few hundred in around 2001
I wouldn’t want to run them now anyway the power consumption would be too much in post-brexit britain
I understand. I sold my EICO about 11 years ago. . . it had sat idle a long time as I started using Decware amps in '97. My current monoblocks eat up some electricity. . .but they are only 3 watts per channel.
That’s the way to do it
Checkout the “headphone” and “specialty” categories. Most have 5-way binding posts for speakers, and several are much more wallet-friendly.
A friend of mine would urge you to skip the SET integrated idea altogether and go instead for a GAN FET amp. He had a prized tube amp and moved to one of those, and fed by the same tubed preamp he was using he swears it sounds just like the tube amp he loves with ten times the power or more, which was what he was seeking–he needed more for “orchestral climaxes.” And cheap (by high end standards) at less than a thousand.
I appreciate the option, but if I’m making a change, it’s going to be to a SET. I’ve been lusting for a SET amp for year, just never had speakers that could work with them, but I do believe the Zu Def Supreme would work quite ok. I don’t really listen loud and I also have a pair of REL S812’s for the low-end, so that helps (I’m guessing)
Too bad it’s gone up to $1200.
Luckily, it’s only $1200.
And you have several years to save up for a new one!
BTW—Sean or Garret at ZU will gladly make recommendations
I know. . . not something I’ve been willing to do either, though he constantly prods me in that direction saying “you don’t know what you are missing.”
Maybe. My next move is the Decware SEWE300B. I’m now #165 on the waiting list.
I was thinking about Decware, but I’m concerned with “only” 2.3w for the Zu Omen Def Supreme’s… it’s a pretty big step from a 300w Gyphon Diablo 300 to a 2.3W Decware… but then again, I can barely use the Gryphon as the efficiency of the Zu’s are so high that I only use the very lowest end of the volume control. Not a problem when I had the Wilson Watt Puppy 8’s.
From years of inhabiting the Deware forums it appears many use Zu speakers happily with the Zen amps.
I know that my Conrad Johnson tube pre and power amp are different than what you’re looking for, but I have 2 self powered SVS subs that sound clean and tight when connected to a new Parasound ss preamp but not so with the 25 year-old CJ tube preamp. But the glorious midrange is so worth it.
cj amplification is hard to beat, as you say the midrange is glorious. Having a Premier 11a I’m happy.
Tube hybrid amplifiers that output 200w and 135w for the integrated? Too little? My SET was 22w.