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Thread: Silly season find: budget valve amps

  1. #1
    Join Date: Oct 2008

    Location: Southampton, UK and Nicosia, Cyprus

    Posts: 1,139

    Default Silly season find: budget valve amps

    My Android phone is still pushing articles at me. Try this:


    https://thevinylfactory.com/features...ipped-off/amp/

    Knowing where to look for the decent stuff cannot be easy. Quad do a re-worked range

    http://www.quad-hifi.co.uk/product.php?cid=7

    http://www.quad-hifi.co.uk/product-detail.php?pid=41


    And Radford remakes are available. I think I would trust them.

    http://www.radfordrevival.co.uk/sta-reissue/

    What do those with "knowledge" think of the current market? I am sure the article is right - there is a lot of dodgy junk on the market. There will also be a lot of overpriced boutique stuff. Where are the decent products at fair prices, given this technology is inherently expensive?

    Not that I am in the market for a valve amp, but I am interested! Or do I mean nosey?
    Brian

    In Southampton: Raspberry Pi 4 running PiCorePlayer, Beresford Caiman SEG, Quad 77 Int Amp and CD Player, AVI Neutron 4, Sennheiser HD25 headphones.
    In Nicosia: Small Format HTPC, Beresford 7520 ,Quad 405-2, Quart 980s German Tower Loudspeakers.

  2. #2
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

    Posts: 51,624
    I'm Geoff.

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    The first article linked to is written by somebody who has clearly not tried the items he mentions. He is also ill informed.

    The little Quad VA-One looks like fun. Bet it's not cheap though.

  3. #3
    Join Date: Oct 2008

    Location: Southampton, UK and Nicosia, Cyprus

    Posts: 1,139

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    Quote Originally Posted by walpurgis View Post
    The little Quad VA-One looks like fun. Bet it's not cheap though.

    £1300

    https://www.gramophone.co.uk/feature...th-quad-va-one
    Brian

    In Southampton: Raspberry Pi 4 running PiCorePlayer, Beresford Caiman SEG, Quad 77 Int Amp and CD Player, AVI Neutron 4, Sennheiser HD25 headphones.
    In Nicosia: Small Format HTPC, Beresford 7520 ,Quad 405-2, Quart 980s German Tower Loudspeakers.

  4. #4
    Join Date: Mar 2008

    Location: Galashiels

    Posts: 13,669
    I'm inthescottishmafia.

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    Struggle to beat kits from the likes of WD or Transcendent Sound for VFM. Currently use a Mini Beast, which is the best sounding amp I’ve had in my system period, and it does better and deeper bass than any of the SS amps I have. You do need speakers that are happy with 4w/ch though.
    “Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of fuel. Sentimental people call it inspiration, but what they really mean is fuel. I have always needed fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio”

    Hunter S Thompson

  5. #5
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: London

    Posts: 685
    I'm James.

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    I have a Lowther Jazz 6L6 which is a stone cold bargain in terms of sound per pound somewhere near £550 imported new (I guess), and valves are cheap and plentiful. Jake loved his J Sound Labs 300b though they're out of business, and Almarro 6C33P amps are pretty stellar VFM as well. Leak stereo 20 and TL12+ are plentiful and sound excellent at around half the cost of a Radford (which I accept is a better amp). Some of the Rogers amps are decent too and quite cheap when available. Yes you need less insensitive speakers for these amps but there are benefits in going down that route as well as limitations.

    Sent from my BLA-L09 using Tapatalk

  6. #6
    Join Date: Jun 2015

    Location: London/Durham

    Posts: 6,869
    I'm Lawrence.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jazid View Post
    I have a Lowther Jazz 6L6 which is a stone cold bargain in terms of sound per pound somewhere near £550 imported new (I guess), and valves are cheap and plentiful. Jake loved his J Sound Labs 300b though they're out of business, and Almarro 6C33P amps are pretty stellar VFM as well. Leak stereo 20 and TL12+ are plentiful and sound excellent at around half the cost of a Radford (which I accept is a better amp). Some of the Rogers amps are decent too and quite cheap when available. Yes you need less insensitive speakers for these amps but there are benefits in going down that route as well as limitations.

    Sent from my BLA-L09 using Tapatalk
    I take it they're not the same Lowther as made the full range drivers? Did they buy the name?

    Sent from my BLN-L21 using Tapatalk

  7. #7
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: London

    Posts: 685
    I'm James.

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    I think it's the Lowther Club of Hong-Kong, so a resurrected circuit lovingly brought back to life by Lowther fanatics. You can probably guess the choice of speaker they were designed for...

    It's a damn fine amp!

    Sent from my BLA-L09 using Tapatalk

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