Are People Going More Now Towards Valve Amps?

Yes, Isold my SS to fund a valve integrated, the Berning ZH270. I previously had a Sampson modified kW500 which at the time I loved. It did deeep bass and was quick and very accurate. Then I heard the Berning. A revelation. Better at lower volumes, more space, more 3-D, not quite as deep bass but certainly mnore texture and just as fast. Vocals and instruments seem to have a much more real tone, and maybe the amp is less accurate, but it certainly grabbed my attention, and I wouldn't sell it for anything right now!

 

at present iam using the fatman with tannoy cheviot's mk11 and i must say it sounds very good,
nando.

 

In the last five or six years absolutely nobody I know has made the switch from SS to valve.

The increased popularity of valves is quite simple - they look cool and thanks to the Far East they are cheap. However, I personally couldn't live with any of the 'affordable' valve amps I have heard in the last few years. I could live with some of the expensive ones but only if I changed my speakers to match their requirements (and I don’t want to do that).

 

I was personally biased AGAINST valve amps as I was foolishly judging them all on the basis of having heard only a few and teh ones I had heard had all been overbloated and muddy.

Then Andy kindly invited me to have a listen to his system and he proved that my predjudice had no sound basis.

So I went to listen to lots of amps and where in the past I would have listened to only SS, this time I listened to both and was open minded to buy whichever I prefered.

I have ended up with a nice 845s class A intergrated.

I do think they have increased in popularity, but from my perspective that has been driven by improvements in sound vs what I had heard from valve amps 10+ years ago.

 

From a pearsonal pov the use of forums has made a dramatic difference to my system all round.

Knowledgable people .......Zanash especially....have been able to point me in the right direction, to acheive what I want to achieive. The valve amp is one of many positive moves I have made in the last few years.

I think forums are very effective in getting like-minded people toghther (should I say MOSTLY like minded! )

 

cables are system dependant, so are other accesories, s.s. and valves differ on both, it's a matter of personal trial, valves are most sensative than s s
nando.

 

I have a puresound system and have found it to be among the best I have owned - love the A30 amp just brilliant valves

 

I moved over to the bright and shiney side about two years ago.
I'd previously been a Naim man for around 20 years. It was the prohibitive cost of a 552 which steered me in the valve direction.

I'd heard lots of amps at shows but I was looking for an amp which could replace my Naim 135's which I'd owned for 15 years and keep it for the next 15 years.
I found it with the Mac 275. It's such a beauty. I've partnered it with a Hovland HP100.
The Mac has to be the bargain of the century when it comes to high end amps.
I swapped my Naim Allaes which actually sounded better with the Mac than the 135's for a pair of Art Emotion Siggies which sound like they were made for the Mac.
I'm very happy with the move to valves and don't think I'll be going back to trannies any time soon.

 

Sounds like you made a good move!

 

I love valve amps, and have loved them for almost twenty years.

Their downsides are 1) tube replacement costs 2) electricy usage 3) inevitably with all that heat the odd resistor will go pop 4) cheap and nasty imports are giving the technology a bad name.

I continue to work with and admire the valve, it does it better than anything else for me. If I had any advice to give new purchasers of amps - I would say look to the quality of the output transformers and the detail of the power supply. These are usually 'dead give aways' with lower quality amps -... how easy it is to produce the ''wooly bottom end'' that so many speak about...

 

does anyone use any valve amps using 211's or 845 valves?
nando.

 

No, but I saw what looked like an interesting example for sale the other day - battery power supply, C-Core transformers... looked very interesting -

http://www.audioflair.co.uk/TranscriptionAudio.php

 

Not personally I use 300B`s, but I do know people who use 211 and 845 valves

 

quote

300b's are great, but all valve amps relly on a very stable and eficiant power supply, 13 wound as used with el34's, the reason that i wish to have an amp utillising either 211's i personally think that they are te best for what i would like to have. just heard that FATMAN are bringing out total dedicated new stereo valve amps, no ipod based,
nando.

 

I like 211's and 845's.

They have a good tone IME, comparible with a 300b a little less detail but more gutsy.

But then, they have more power, and even better the valves last for twice as long before they pop.

However, the heat from them is really something else, the power usage is too high and from a self-build perspective the voltages are especially lethal.

A real curates egg of a tube..

 

Double post !!

 

The 211 I have heard is a tremendous valve / amp powerful detailed and warm with enormous transformers and something like 1200v dc flying about inside, certainly not for the faint hearted. This was a valve guru`s self build amp.

I have heard the 845 valve in two different amps, a Mr Liang from China which sounded lovely, again warm and detailed but also in A Unison Research S8 which i believe is a hybrid amp where I found the sound a bit thin for my taste.

Andy

 

hi andy, i do not like most hybrid amps, i do know when i was with zia at t.t. experimenting with 211's and the power supply was greater then the synergy power amp, cost a lot to make, ,so it was not a product to market sense , only aficionados with plenty of dosh, i am now have the new M.F. TITAN on test single ended triode class a pwr, must say it is awesomme.
nando.

 

A friend of mine has a Sampson modified KW500 (what a cost) and to me it sounds heartless against my KT88 Primaluna. You'd go a long way to better the Primaluna build quality and with nice and easy auto-biasing tube rolling is a cinch. I've owned and heard loads of SS amplifiers up to £4000 and I'd never go back to one. I like my music to envelop me and involve me in the music making. Never heard an SS amp that can do that. I'm sure there must be one out there but at what price.

 

Used to own some ming da 845 monoblocks and although they had awful build quality and reliability, they really did sound immense.

1/8th the cost of an EU or US equivalents, but total deathtraps as a result.

Recently switched to an SS pre/power from valve pre/power and honestly don't miss them. The pre (MF308cr) is a solid performer across the range and doesn't have any transistor sheen in the treble or veil in the mids. Sounds marginally warmer than my old BAT too. The power amp is a massively powerful class a beast and grips my speakers better, having equally articulate mids & highs as my old 6550 PP.

They've changed my mind about transistor amps and the fact that you can get nice SS sound for not much money if you're careful.

DT