Change of amp

I am hoping to replace my amp in the couple of months, current system is Rega P25/Denon DL103/Cambridge 640P/Rega Brio/Rega R3's. My maximum budget is £1300, and I would prefer to buy new, as normally if I buy anything pre owned something gives way in its first month with me. Buy the time I have had whatever fixed it winds up costing me the same as new.
I have so far tried
Prima Luna prologue 2 (the one with KT88's) liked the sound very much, but heat and valve life are a concern.
Rega Mira integrated-in all honesty I prefer the Brio
Rega Cursa/Maia did like this pairing- Brio on steroids, more grunt, more detail and more control. Part of me says just stay with rega, the other part says change dam you.
Rotel Rc/Rb 1070 not bad but a little 'brighter' than I was looking for
Musical Fidelity A3.5 or something- OK-ish but when the music became complex it seemed to carve it up into pieces it could manage and chucked it at you without putting it back together.
Quad 99 pre and power (can not afford 99pre 909 power) much better than I expected-more involving than I anticipated, nice sound.

What else do you think I should track down to listen to?

 

Personally, I'd look at a good phono stage (the Loricraft Missing Link is about 500 quid new, and is very hard to match at anything near that price IMHO). The 103 is capable of giving very good results with this stage.
Another thing I strongly recommend is to make the standard Rega counterweight heavier and get it as close to the pivot point as you can. This improves the sound considerably with the P25/RB600/103 combo.

HTH

 

On the valve life front ~ don't be too concerned by that. 5000 hours is typical for output tubes, which is two years with a quite high on time of 50 hours a week. EL34s are cheap (can be used by the Prologue 2, or save £150 & go for a One in the first place ~ put the difference into the tube replacement budget!).

If you want solid state then you must have a listen to the TACTSDAi2175. I had one of these ~ the 'best' SS I've heard, up to about the £2500 mark (the TacT is £1245).

I replaced my Tact with a ProLogue One ~ make of that what you will!

 

LinearMan, have you by any chance heard a Prologue One and a Prologue Two with EL34s - in other words, is there any difference in the sound using the same valves in both models?

 

That's a very good question. Unfortunately, I haven't. I was considering a Two myself, on the basis of all the reports of EL34s and flabby bass. Well, having heard the One through my Harbs, this was certainly not the case. Perhaps the circuit design and quality of OP transformers helps the One, maybe the 'flabby bass' is just a myth, based upon experiences of older valve amps. For whatever reason, the One and my Harbs really sound good together with tuneful and controlled bass, so the £150 extra for the two couldn't be justified. It's also worth considering the additional cost of KT88s over EL34s.

 

I quite like the idea of being able to swap between EL34s and KT88s but then again I quite like the idea of not being able to - stops the tweaker in me from arsing about as well as saving money.

I'm sure a decent amp is a decent amp whatever the flavour of valve; there is no reason why EL34 based designs have to have 'flabby' bass if you match the speakers well.

 

Some folks here might recommend Chinese gear they've tried/bought.

One interesting example (IMO anyway) 80W Class A circa £700

 

You've got to the get the Jungson! Its got Vu Meters!

 

where did you try it greg, it's interesting, and it appears from the online stuff I have found you can the vu meters off!!!
The only place I can find it in the UK is shadow distribution.
________
Club Royal Condo Pattaya

 

If you like what valves do, but want to stick with solid state, then listen to the Sugden A21. It won't sound like a valve amp but nor does it sound like most solid state amps. It's a kind of halfway house between the two - but a very nice one. It may be just what you are looking for.

 

Agreed. I have tried quite a few transistor amps, the Sugden A21a is the only one I miss most. It has a magical midrange and airyness unmatched by other amps. Pity it runs out of steam if pushed hard.

 

Dudy, how big is yer listening room. The R3's are quoted as 89dB sensitivity. If the room is say, up to 3m x 4m (or you share a wall with yer neighbours) then the Sugden should be enough to get them quite loud.

 

The room is not that big, about 16'x14'x11', we do not have a dividing wall, but I don't listen that loud normally, and the Brio (32 watts a channel) never gets past 10 O'clock (ish) on the dial with CD, a little more with vinyl, but as I understand it a little hard work is quiet good for the suggy. I have heard both the A21 and the 21SE, both of which I liked, and I may finish up going that way.

 

Now why would you want those VU meters off??? They're groovey

I havent tried any chinese gear myself yet, though several members here have (I wouldnt want to speak for them of course). Though the cattylink web site is a little quirky there are several products that appeal to me. I'd quite like to try a chunky all Class A amp, it suggests $700 circa (£420ish), but I estimate with delivery and import duty you would probably expect to pay near £700.

 

the A21a is all Class A but only 25W. Considering the JungSon class A could sound similar due to class A operation (I have no idea) but is 80W, seems worth considering. I'm not sure why I'm drawn to class A over valves, but at this stage I am.

 

The Prologue 2 looks a great amp on paper, I'm hoping to hear one soon, so will tell you more then. It's valves without tears, as it protects itself and auto-biases. I'd expect it to have very few problems.
My Chinese is fixed bias, that allegedly gets a tighter grip on the valves, but doesn't afford the same protection. I'd have a look at the Icon Audio amps as well. That's valves without tears too.

Must agree with Joel:

I'm using exactly that and it's fantastic. The Loricraft sounds fantastic, and it showed the Whest a clean pair of heels, when we tried over at Jonathan Ribee's when he was on his Phono Stage Quest. Worth buying now as I believe he may have problems with the new laws regarding lead-free solder that are coming soon.

Your amp though does look to be the weak link. Have you considered the Denson Beat. Would sound great in your speakers, a 2nd hand last generation one would set you back about £450, that would give you enough money to spend on a better phono stage. You could search for a 2nd hand Sugden as well, that could be interesting. That would still give you enough to buy the Loricraft, I've seen them at £800

 

I got a Pathos Classic One Mk.II a year ago and am delighted with it. Knocked the socks off anything near the price. Was £1325 new but RRP has increased since; however, it should be within your budget allowing for normal discount.

 

I got a Pathos Classic One Mk.II a year ago and am delighted with it. Knocked the socks off anything near the price. Was £1325 new but RRP has increased since; however, it should be within your budget allowing for normal discount. Plus:
- it's a hybrid, with valve pre- and ss power sections, so you get valve warmth/character and transistor efficiency without having to worry about big power tubes blowing etc.;
- 65 wpc should meet your output requirements handily; and
- it's ****ing gorgeous!

 

has any one heard these jungSon amps, it is available out of holland, delivered into UK, all taxes, duties whatever paid for under £800.00. Which is well below shadows price