Please recommand tube power amp

Esotar

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I need tube power amp for accuton diamond tweeter and midrange.

The tube amp has to have balance input, 50KHz upper frequency range, stereo power amp.

Which product is the best?
 

egidius

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As mentioned in another thread: Berning Quadrature Z could easily be described best tube power amp, fitting your consideration, except they are mono. I do not know if the ZH230 would fit your requirements, but it is certainly up there with the best, if 30+ Watts is enough..

As of old I would have said Conrad Johnson Pr8 with the Teflon update, gave the best mix of old and new CJ! But these David Berning made them obsolete. Atma Sphere is also fantastic, but the Bernings seem fool proof as well, with easily findable tubes.
 

Esotar

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Thank you~!!!
 

LL21

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As mentioned in another thread: Berning Quadrature Z could easily be described best tube power amp, fitting your consideration, except they are mono. I do not know if the ZH230 would fit your requirements, but it is certainly up there with the best, if 30+ Watts is enough..

As of old I would have said Conrad Johnson Pr8 with the Teflon update, gave the best mix of old and new CJ! But these David Berning made them obsolete. Atma Sphere is also fantastic, but the Bernings seem fool proof as well, with easily findable tubes.

Most interesting...i did not know you had experience with CJ Premier 8/Teflon and Berning Quad Zs...very rare to find! How do they compare? Most intrigued by any listening notes you might share. thanks!
 

microstrip

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(...) As of old I would have said Conrad Johnson Pr8 with the Teflon update, gave the best mix of old and new CJ! But these David Berning made them obsolete. Atma Sphere is also fantastic, but the Bernings seem fool proof as well, with easily findable tubes.

In what sense did the Berning made the cj obsolete?

BTW, a sensible feature of Atmasphere amps to non-US customers is their reliability, the easy to source, long lasting and cheap tubes, and in case of eventual breakdown they can be easily serviced locally - the circuits are very simple to debug and typical diagrams are public, point-to-point wiring and Ralph will supply any needed component if you can not source it locally.
 

bonzo75

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In what sense did the Berning made the cj obsolete?

BTW, a sensible feature of Atmasphere amps to non-US customers is their reliability, the easy to source, long lasting and cheap tubes, and in case of eventual breakdown they can be easily serviced locally - the circuits are very simple to debug and typical diagrams are public, point-to-point wiring and Ralph will supply any needed component if you can not source it locally.

Detlof was praising Ralph's service and ability to fix the amp over the phone
 

KeithR

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In what sense did the Berning made the cj obsolete?

BTW, a sensible feature of Atmasphere amps to non-US customers is their reliability, the easy to source, long lasting and cheap tubes, and in case of eventual breakdown they can be easily serviced locally - the circuits are very simple to debug and typical diagrams are public, point-to-point wiring and Ralph will supply any needed component if you can not source it locally.

OTLs and reliability have never been like peas and carrots...

to the OP: if the drivers in your speakers are bugging you, the solution isn't a new amp but rather different speakers.
 
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microstrip

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OTLs and reliability have never been like peas and carrots...

to the OP: if the drivers in your speakers are bugging you, the solution isn't a new amp but rather different speakers.

Keith,

We are addressing two specific brands of OTL that people consider particularly reliable. Even with other brands of OTLs, most of the time problems are due to using them with inadequate speakers. And yes, I know about the famous Fourier fireworks - the problem was not in being an OTL, it was the incompetence of the manufacturer.
 

egidius

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Most interesting...i did not know you had experience with CJ Premier 8/Teflon and Berning Quad Zs...very rare to find! How do they compare? Most intrigued by any listening notes you might share. thanks!

I owned an upgraded PR11 that I kept even when going up the ladder. I considered the updated Pr8 of a friend of mine as one of the most impressive and enchanting power demonstrations.

When I got hold of my Q'z last year the need to find CJ became obsolete.

As to reliability, let's hope the Q'z hold their promise. They play with any voltage, and how beautiful!
 

egidius

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They don't really compare, the above mentioned enchanting power demonstration vs an agile Assurance of the Bernings. And a better Q'z high frequency vs well known mid frequency of CJ.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
I need tube power amp for accuton diamond tweeter and midrange.

The tube amp has to have balance input, 50KHz upper frequency range, stereo power amp.

Which product is the best?

Well I speak with bias because for my ears the best tube amps for mid range and treble are Lamm.

What's your budget for the amps you seek.
 

LL21

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I owned an upgraded PR11 that I kept even when going up the ladder. I considered the updated Pr8 of a friend of mine as one of the most impressive and enchanting power demonstrations.

When I got hold of my Q'z last year the need to find CJ became obsolete.

As to reliability, let's hope the Q'z hold their promise. They play with any voltage, and how beautiful!

Very nice! I read with great interest the comparisons that Roy Gregory made...very positively about the CJ LP275 monos (the later generation premier 8s which have since been superceded by the current CJ ART Monos). He felt that the CJ LP275 had magnificent colors and tonal qualities. By contrast, he was enthralled with the Berning's ability to bring you right to the nuances of the artists playing, hearing the silences, the pauses, the intonations of their technique.

Some day i really must listen to the CJ ART Monos...i am familiar with a number of their preamps having owned 3 so far...but only know the CJ MV60 which does not compare to these reference level amps. As per Micro, i also know that CJ GAT and ART Monos will have a synergy that probably is very special in their own way...and with my big Wilsons probably produce quite a nice magic all their own.
 

LL21

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They don't really compare, the above mentioned enchanting power demonstration vs an agile Assurance of the Bernings. And a better Q'z high frequency vs well known mid frequency of CJ.

Thank you...that is interesting to note. I understand the Premier 8s with the Teflon capacitors are not too far away from the LP275 monos of several years ago...but understand the current CJ ART Monos have come quite a lot further along. Have you heard them? Would be MOST interested in finding out how you feel the ART monos compare with your magnificent Berning Quadature Z monos.

I have read they are far faster, lower noise floor, much more nuanced and detailed with a much greater transparency and grainlessness than prior CJ amps.
 

microstrip

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Thank you...that is interesting to note. I understand the Premier 8s with the Teflon capacitors are not too far away from the LP275 monos of several years ago...but understand the current CJ ART Monos have come quite a lot further along. Have you heard them? Would be MOST interested in finding out how you feel the ART monos compare with your magnificent Berning Quadature Z monos.

I have read they are far faster, lower noise floor, much more nuanced and detailed with a much greater transparency and grainlessness than prior CJ amps.

Lloyd,

My view is somewhat different.

I have not listened to the ART mono's in my system, but I have had the Premier 8s in my system and currently own the LP275m's - it was good surprise to find that my unit had all Teflon's from manufacture, as the ART. IMHO the sonic difference between the Premier 8's and LP275 is large.

I have researched the differences between the LP275m's and ART's and as far as I could see they are not very large - same power and output transformers, very similar signal circuits and power supply circuits with a main difference - the input tube of the ART is a single M8080 triode, the LP275m is a double ECC88 in parallel used in a single triode. IMHO cj changed the small tubes from the ECC88/6DJ8 mainly due the absence of reliable tubes with very matched triodes - it is why they are using the easily available quality PCC88 in the GAT and probably in the ART preamplfier.

Used LP275m's are the one of the best bargains in the used market, particularly now that the price of KT120's has dropped.
Although it does not have the ultimate bass articulation of an Audio Research tube amplifier, in my system it sounds more powerful than the REF250. These 275 tube watts are really powerful. Although theoretically it does not need matched tubes, using matched tubes improves the performance. Curiously I never read about a LP275m to ART comparison.

When I got them they had 6550's, there was a reasonable improvement in bass control and extension when fitted with KT120's.

Most of the technical details are private and forums information, and my guesses, please correct me if you have access to better information.
 

LL21

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Lloyd,

My view is somewhat different.

I have not listened to the ART mono's in my system, but I have had the Premier 8s in my system and currently own the LP275m's - it was good surprise to find that my unit had all Teflon's from manufacture, as the ART. IMHO the sonic difference between the Premier 8's and LP275 is large.

I have researched the differences between the LP275m's and ART's and as far as I could see they are not very large - same power and output transformers, very similar signal circuits and power supply circuits with a main difference - the input tube of the ART is a single M8080 triode, the LP275m is a double ECC88 in parallel used in a single triode. IMHO cj changed the small tubes from the ECC88/6DJ8 mainly due the absence of reliable tubes with very matched triodes - it is why they are using the easily available quality PCC88 in the GAT and probably in the ART preamplfier.

Used LP275m's are the one of the best bargains in the used market, particularly now that the price of KT120's has dropped.
Although it does not have the ultimate bass articulation of an Audio Research tube amplifier, in my system it sounds more powerful than the REF250. These 275 tube watts are really powerful. Although theoretically it does not need matched tubes, using matched tubes improves the performance. Curiously I never read about a LP275m to ART comparison.

When I got them they had 6550's, there was a reasonable improvement in bass control and extension when fitted with KT120's.

Most of the technical details are private and forums information, and my guesses, please correct me if you have access to better information.

Great stuff as always Micro! thanks for sharing that...i think when i mentioned Premier 8s as being close to LP275...i was referring to Premier 8s that had been retrofitted by CJ with Teflon Capacitors as a silent upgrade. Sorry if that was not clear...in any event, it is great to hear more comments from you about CJ in general, and someday, it would be fun to hear them in my system just to learn.
 

Esotar

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I want to get it with $25,000
 

andromedaaudio

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What are the speaker overal specs esotar, you have 86 db accuton drivers and 94 db accuton drivers

From your site it seems they are active :confused: speakers plus no english translation ??
 
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Believe High Fidelity

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I need tube power amp for accuton diamond tweeter and midrange.

The tube amp has to have balance input, 50KHz upper frequency range, stereo power amp.

Which product is the best?

Why do you want to go balanced on the tube amp? SE designs always sound better before balancing it with the second to add more complexity just for a lower noise floor
 

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