to tube or to t

[JOHNNYFAMOUS]

a few foolish questions if u may. Running the alpair 6 in a mar ken6. i have been using a sure 15w 2024 t amp and it has progressively started sounding worse. it never sounded great.

i want a new amp and have been thinking tube and spent many hours looking.

MP-301 MK2 Mini Tube Amplifier with Headphone Output [MP-301 MK2] - $260.00 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce

or

MP-302 Class-D Mini Amplifier with Karaoke Feature [MP-302] - $94.49 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce

or just but another better quality t amp?

Will i appreciate the tube ? worth the extra 160? is 6w enough power to run them? and insight would be great..

[chrisb]

Originally Posted by JOHNNYFAMOUS

a few foolish questions if u may. Running the alpair 6 in a mar ken6. i have been using a sure 15w 2024 t amp and it has progressively started sounding worse. it never sounded great.

i want a new amp and have been thinking tube and spent many hours looking.

MP-301 MK2 Mini Tube Amplifier with Headphone Output [MP-301 MK2] - $260.00 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce

or

MP-302 Class-D Mini Amplifier with Karaoke Feature [MP-302] - $94.49 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce

or just but another better quality t amp?

Will i appreciate the tube ? worth the extra 160? is 6w enough power to run them? and insight would be great..

Decisions, decisions...


Between the two Musical Paradise models, I'd be inclined towards the tubed unit - there are many options of rolling tubes and often other mods to a tube amp that can significantly improve sound, and add many times the original cost.

Being familiar enough with the various Alpair drivers, my own short list of tube amps would include at least one EL84 P/P. While a lot of folks (not least amongst them Mark F) report great results on various Alpairs and EL70s with between 3-8 watts of SE tube amps, I find they really start to exhibit their merits/authority with between 10-15 watts, which in a tube amp is generally more affordable in a P/P configuration.


If you're not afraid to tackle a kit /DIY amp (tube or otherwise) , there's no shortage of options to suggest in either camp - I doubt even the most fanatical of DIYer has heard them all.

My son has a pair of CHR70s in millisized boxes, and is very happy with the sound of Virtue One.2 amp.

[Godzilla]

>>> Between the two Musical Paradise models, I'd be inclined towards the tubed unit...

I agree.

Personally i have a tube amp and a T-amp and think everyone needs both. LOL. I could live with either bc they both sound wonderful. I do not like solid state amps and sold a big Aragon thing that took up lots of space in my den for a few years... and an Adcom thing that also grated at my ears... and there's an Onkyo thing in the living room my wife can keep in the divorce.

Why the karaoke feature?

[chrisb]

Originally Posted by Godzilla

>>> Between the two Musical Paradise models, I'd be inclined towards the tubed unit...

I agree.

Personally i have a tube amp and a T-amp and think everyone needs both. LOL. I could live with either bc they both sound wonderful. I do not like solid state amps and sold a big Aragon thing that took up lots of space in my den for a few years... and an Adcom thing that also grated at my ears... and there's an Onkyo thing in the living room my wife can keep in the divorce.

Why the karaoke feature?

good question - that looks to represent far more of the cost of unit than I'd want to waste on a completely useless (to me) feature.

I don't actually hate my 2 current SS amps Denon AVR1610 and Rotel RB850 HT - they certainly serve their purpose, but highly musical they're not.

[markaudio]

Hi Johnny,
I've used Derek Shek's Miniwatt N2 and N3 amps on Alp6's, nice results. Derek put allot of effort into the design of their power supply, so are very stable, one of quietest mini-amps I've ever heard. You might want to consider the N3 as you shop around:

miniwatt N3 - Amplifiers

Cheers
Mark.

[Ty_Bower]

Originally Posted by Godzilla

... and there's an Onkyo thing in the living room my wife can keep in the divorce.

Why wait that long? I gave my Denon to the kids years ago. They like that it's easy to switch from the Wii to the DVD with minimal fuss. I say whatever.

[JOHNNYFAMOUS]

If you're not afraid to tackle a kit /DIY amp (tube or otherwise) , there's no shortage of options to suggest in either camp - I doubt even the most fanatical of DIYer has heard them all.

I am always up for a diy kit. However i am on a limited budget. the 260 plus shipping was a stretch for me right now.. I searched for kits in this range but seems that unless you spend 500 plus there is not much out there.. any kit suggestions in my price range?

thanks chris..

[JOHNNYFAMOUS]

Originally Posted by markaudio

Hi Johnny,
I've used Derek Shek's Miniwatt N2 and N3 amps on Alp6's, nice results. Derek put allot of effort into the design of their power supply, so are very stable, one of quietest mini-amps I've ever heard. You might want to consider the N3 as you shop around:

miniwatt N3 - Amplifiers

Cheers
Mark.

thanks for your thoughts mark, I agree, i can tell by just viewing the pictures this amp is built to a very high quality. I am though limited on budget at this point and want - need to keep this amp well under $300.00 if possible. I am keen on the diy but cant seem to find a kit in this range. the search continues..

[JOHNNYFAMOUS]

Originally Posted by Godzilla

>>> \
Personally i have a tube amp and a T-amp and think everyone needs both. LOL. I could live with either bc they both sound wonderful.

is there a justifiable difference in sound from your t compared to the tube? It seems the diy t amps are easy to come by and relatively cheap.. not so for the tubes i am finding..

I want the best! kinda champagne a beer budget thing though..

[Godzilla]

I think there is no shame in buying an inexpensive t-amp. I think even the little $50 Dayton sounds fantastic. Used with a powered sub you will have quite a full, rich and detailed system. But i prefer the $99 Dayton bc the build quality is better. But they sound similar enough to me to be identical. My tubes have a more midrange forward sound and have more depth to the sound. But they also have tube hiss. The t-amps are silent... cheap... and sound better than ss any day!

If i was saving money i'd go with the T and wouldnt look back.... save for a better tube amp in the future and enjoy the T while on a low budget.

Zilla