Old or new gear


Greetings,

I am trying to buy my first tube amplifier. Budget is about $2500-3500. I am not very good at doing electrical work myself and do not intend to restore/repair/update the equipment myself. No time for another hobby. 

Looking to get something very reliable to use for years to come. I tend to keep my equipment for a long time, and do not upgrade things frequently. Trouble free listening is the goal. US made (or Japan or western Europe) would be really nice. Looked at Chinese models, but decided not to go that route, although there are many very good quality brands with great reviews. The top of the line Chinese units are not much cheaper than US made ones, through.

For that money, I am looking for something like quicksilver mid monos or decware MK4, brand new, both made in US, with good reviews as far as build quality and reliability goes.
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Alternatively, there are amps here on Agon, such as CJ, Cary, VPI 299d, VTL de luxe 300,  VAC rebaissance 30/30 MK3, all used, about 10-15 years old, some in mint conditions with low hours, under or around 3K.

I am looking more for good sound and reliability than a specific amp type (pp vs SE) or output tube design.

Any advice? Again, not looking to resell but this is always a consideration as well (never know what the future holds). Main concern is quality and long term reliability.
Are there better transformers, caps, resistors etc... now than 10-15 years ago? Again, not looking to upgrade anything myself and do not have the time to spend in repair shops.

Thanks for your advice.


sophie999
Another plus for Quicksilver, i believe Mike Sanders has just about perfected the art and science behind tube transformer design. Great amplifier lineup from bottom to top. I have a pair of Silver 88s and i just love these amps. With the right speakers they are about as ideal as it gets. Check out the 20 watt integrated at 1995.00, wonderful with the right speaker. I heard with a pair of 12k ref 3a Reflectors, very impressive with those monitors that hide nothing. That integrated helped them totally disappear.
Thanks. 
I think I will go with QS mid monos based on my research and multiple comments here. Will schiit saga pre match with it? That's a $650 price difference from QS pre. Seems to have output impedance 180 ohm vs 100 for QS. Also no output gain for saga. Is QS really worth extra $650? 
Do not rule out PrimaLuna. They are a great value and awesome for the money. I am a tube guy and I love my PrimaLuna Dialogue Preamp and Dialogue amps. They're integrated are an amazing value.
I looked at them carefully. There is an authorized dealer close to me. The one that I wanted runs around 3K, similar to Decware or QS with preamp. Not to bring any politics to the thread, but for the same price would prefer locally made. Great way to support small local businesses. PL does have excellent user reviews though. And the build quality seems excellent as well. Still an option if others do not work out for some reason.

Also, like the idea of separates. More hassle, but can always swap one component at a time, or try other variations, as I have another system. And if something breaks, no need to replace everything at once.