Full tube / hybrid amplifier help in selection !

I am from India - Calcutta - hearing a lot that tube amplifiers sound better than ss amps!! Brands which are easily available in India are a) Cayin b) Prima Luna Proluge 1 & 2.c) Cadence an Indian hi-end audio product .
Also available is hybrid JoLida 1701a .
Is maintenance of tube amplifiers difficult?( replacing tubes etc.) or buying of Jolida hybrid
will be a good buy.
Also I would like to know if I buy tube /hybrid amp do I have to change my existing speakers/cdplayer..In a system set up which is the most important component -- AMPLIFIER , CD SOURCE, or the SPEAKERS ! !
Regards
Saradindu Bose

Present system
Luxman amp, Bose 301 speakers, Yamaha cd.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by saradindu bose

I am from India - Calcutta - hearing a lot that tube amplifiers sound better than ss amps!! Brands which are easily available in India are a) Cayin b) Prima Luna Proluge 1 & 2.c) Cadence an Indian hi-end audio product .
Also available is hybrid JoLida 1701a .
Is maintenance of tube amplifiers difficult?( replacing tubes etc.) or buying of Jolida hybrid
will be a good buy.
Also I would like to know if I buy tube /hybrid amp do I have to change my existing speakers/cdplayer..In a system set up which is the most important component -- AMPLIFIER , CD SOURCE, or the SPEAKERS ! !
Regards
Saradindu Bose

Present system
Luxman amp, Bose 301 speakers, Yamaha cd.

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I am only familiar with Jolida. One of my buddies has a Jolida integrated amp another has a Jolida CD player. I like both of these products. They love them. The amp replaced a Sony ES receiver the other a Toshiba CD player. The Jolida CD player was purchased used but the owner is as happy as a pig wallowing in the mud. The amp owner is so smug and happy I want to slap him. Speakers are the MOST important. Of course that presumes your electronics are good enough for the speakers.

Some tube amps have impedence mismatch issues but you can usually check that with the manufacturers.

Some tube amps require zero effort. My Audio Note SE requires no bias adjusting as it does it itself. Generally Push Pull varieties from Jolida or ASL require you to bias(tune) the tubes so they are working at their best -- Supposedly this takes you about 5 minutes to do and you should only need to to do when you replace tubes -- maybe check it every 6 months (sorta like a carberator versus fuel injection I suppose).

Some prefer Hybrids because you get better bass -- I don;t buy that but id speakers are tough to drive then a Hybrid makes sense -- the best of both worlds idea implies there is something better about SS -- I have yet to here it!!!

I would recommend the 302B and Antique Sound Labs AQ1003DT as they use the same tube compliment -- EL34 based tube amps are nice and the tubes inexpensive to replace.

I have heard good things about Cayin which si a very popular tube amp on the Audio Asylum forum - but I've never heard one. Looks good.

If you have veyr easy to drive speakers look for a used OTO SE or SORO SE from Audio Note -- Used they go for about $400.00 more than the 302B but will be well worth it.

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Originally Posted by RGA

Some tube amps have impedence mismatch issues but you can usually check that with the manufacturers.

Some tube amps require zero effort. My Audio Note SE requires no bias adjusting as it does it itself. Generally Push Pull varieties from Jolida or ASL require you to bias(tune) the tubes so they are working at their best -- Supposedly this takes you about 5 minutes to do and you should only need to to do when you replace tubes -- maybe check it every 6 months (sorta like a carberator versus fuel injection I suppose).

Some prefer Hybrids because you get better bass -- I don;t buy that but id speakers are tough to drive then a Hybrid makes sense -- the best of both worlds idea implies there is something better about SS -- I have yet to here it!!!

I would recommend the 302B and Antique Sound Labs AQ1003DT as they use the same tube compliment -- EL34 based tube amps are nice and the tubes inexpensive to replace.

I have heard good things about Cayin which si a very popular tube amp on the Audio Asylum forum - but I've never heard one. Looks good.

If you have veyr easy to drive speakers look for a used OTO SE or SORO SE from Audio Note -- Used they go for about $400.00 more than the 302B but will be well worth it.

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Adjusting the bias on (single ended) SE tube amps is not necessary as there is no push or pull to require balancing of the bias. Only when pairs or quads or more of output tubes are used is adjusting the bias necessary. SE tubes do have a magic all their own. Unfortunately for me they can't drive any speaker I like to reasonable levels. Even matched pairs of output tubes need bias adjusment when first installed and periodically throughout their life span. There are some push pull amps that do this automatically.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by saradindu bose

I am from India - Calcutta - hearing a lot that tube amplifiers sound better than ss amps!! Brands which are easily available in India are a) Cayin b) Prima Luna Proluge 1 & 2.c) Cadence an Indian hi-end audio product .
Also available is hybrid JoLida 1701a .
Is maintenance of tube amplifiers difficult?( replacing tubes etc.) or buying of Jolida hybrid
will be a good buy.
Also I would like to know if I buy tube /hybrid amp do I have to change my existing speakers/cdplayer..In a system set up which is the most important component -- AMPLIFIER , CD SOURCE, or the SPEAKERS ! !
Regards
Saradindu Bose

Present system
Luxman amp, Bose 301 speakers, Yamaha cd.

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All tube amps do usually require you to set the bias. All modern amps, unlike some vintage amps like the Dyna ST-70, have taps for the meter that you would use to set the bias. Though opinions differ, I find that the source is the most important component in a system, given that the rest of the equipment will let you resolve the info that the source supplies.

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Originally Posted by risabet

All tube amps do usually require you to set the bias. All modern amps, unlike some vintage amps like the Dyna ST-70, have taps for the meter that you would use to set the bias. Though opinions differ, I find that the source is the most important component in a system, given that the rest of the equipment will let you resolve the info that the source supplies.

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SE tube amps because they are single ended (1 output tube) do not need rebiasing when replacing their single output tube. There is a tube bias circuit on SE's but, it is usually not ajustable. Adjustment is necessary on push pull output stages for balancing pairs of tubes. Although matched pairs are preferred even they need initial balancing. Adjustability allows the use of unmatched tubes in a pinch. Bias once set is usually very stable. If periodic checks show a need for frequent readjustment it most often indicates possible (on SE's iminent) tube failure of one of the output tubes. I am aware of some SE tube amps (Wavelength) that allow bias adjustment. These adjustments are really nothing more than tone controls. As a non-sequitar: Has anyone compared SE tubes to SE solid state. risabet, are you a Linnie?

Sorry risabet, I took a look at your lovely blue text. No offense intended with the "Linnie" term. Where did you get the Origin stuff? Did you import it directly? I've seen their web site. I have had idle thoughts of using some of their diy stuff to make my own TT.

Thanks for the info on the SE -- I know little about them to be honest since AN is really the first one I've seriously listened to -- they drive the speakers better than Bryston though so that is what I care about. The OTO uses a total of ten tubes 2 for the phono board and run 4 EL84s. The OTO has been reviewed driving Thiel and Totem -- Both cases the reviewers liked the amp -- but i suspect they would have been more fair to the amp if they drove easier to drive speakers.

I have heard the Sugden A21a which is my favorite sanely priced SE solid state 25 watt pure class A integrated.

Thanks all for your replies & information.
I have been told that the Indian manufacturer
"Cadence" va tube amplifier has "el34 power section
but preamplification is done by only very high end
volume pot and that the configuration uses the
gain of cdp to feed the power section and works very
well as all cdp's of today give atleast a 2V output signal
which is enough to drive the power section of the amp-
so more attention is paid to put in better components
in the power and monitoring section of the amp-
Very short and clean signal path to the power selection-
they call it hybrid because there is solid state monitoring
of the tubes which is out of the main audio signal path"
I have not understood what all this is supposed to mean.
Can anyone explain it to me in normal words.Is all this
normal?
Sorry for the bother.
Regards
Saradindu Bose.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by saradindu bose

Thanks all for your replies & information.
I have been told that the Indian manufacturer
"Cadence" va tube amplifier has "el34 power section
but preamplification is done by only very high end
volume pot and that the configuration uses the
gain of cdp to feed the power section and works very
well as all cdp's of today give atleast a 2V output signal
which is enough to drive the power section of the amp-
so more attention is paid to put in better components
in the power and monitoring section of the amp-
Very short and clean signal path to the power selection-
they call it hybrid because there is solid state monitoring
of the tubes which is out of the main audio signal path"
I have not understood what all this is supposed to mean.
Can anyone explain it to me in normal words.Is all this
normal?
Sorry for the bother.
Regards
Saradindu Bose.

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Monitoring of the tube circuits would usually be on the bias circuit. Excessive current draw there can indicate possible tube failure. I don't know why the manufacturer would call this hybrid. Hybrid usually means one of the stages is solid state and the other is tube. An example would be a power amp with tube input/driver stage and solid state output devices. There have been amplifiers that reverse this. Accurus DIA amps use a single stage of amplification and only a high quality pot for volume control.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JoeE SP9

Sorry risabet, I took a look at your lovely blue text. No offense intended with the "Linnie" term. Where did you get the Origin stuff? Did you import it directly? I've seen their web site. I have had idle thoughts of using some of their diy stuff to make my own TT.

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I'm never offended to be called a "Linnie." I bought the OL stuff from Audio Revelations in San Diego (an Audiogon dealer also). Suprisingly, it was cheaper to buy from the dealer than to import it directly, by about $100.00. The dollar is taking a serious pounding re: the Pound.