Best Tube Amplifiers, Most Respected Tube Amplifiers
We’ve been wondering about just who would be on a list of the top contenders for the Champion of the World in several categories of high-end audio equipment.
Contenders are either the products we know to be great and hearing them several times actually *sound* great, those that we suspect to be great, and those that are generally considered to be great.
Note that some of this has to do with fashion, and some has to do with popularity, and some to do with actual performance.
To put it simply, if you won the lottery today – what would you want to audition tomorrow?
Tube Amps:
The Audio Note (UK) Gaku-On (This is other worldly)
A slew of Audio Note (UK) amps using various tubes and configurations (Ongaku, Kegon, Kageki, etc.)
The Kondo Ongaku (still legendary)
The Lamm ML3 (an amazing performer)
The VTL (has a good reputation)
The WAVAC SH-833 (Most expensive and has a good reputation)
———–
Others? Anybody? Remember they have to recognized as a top performer by at least some percentage of audiophiles.
There are a TON of tube amps out there. There are even some with unique designs that perform quite well – but are not quite well known. The Berning OTL amps sound quite good, as do the LARS 300B amps.
If you want to nominate others, please leave a comment!
Renaissance-25SE
Single-ended tube integrated amplifier with output stage of the legendary directly heated triode GM70. This model is the quintessence of the principles of creating uncompromising High-End amplifier and carries the idea of the revival of this High-End Audio. Development lasted ten years, during which have been tried all possible options for circuit design of tube amps using the best ingredients. The result has been found ideal scheme and its implementation.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/svpremvs/6817751548/in/set-72157629174038760
Hi Colton,
We’ve heard the 833 many, many times as well as other WAVAC amps. Interesting, but not offering the things we look for from an amplifier [which is drug-like potential, high resolution, insight into the music in terms of musicianship as well as note formation, control over the speaker, etc.]. They are, however, very, very neutral and this may indeed appeal to people who like a sound closer to a solid-state amp sound or who put more focus on their source as opposed to the amp/speaker combination – these amps do let the source dominate the sound more than some other quality amps out there.
We usually delete vacuous posts by trolls like you, but maybe this can spark a conversation here about some of the new amps we are seeing these days? A conversation among non-trolls that is.