Balanced Low Power Tube Monoblocks?

I have Quicksilver Triode (6C33C) Monoblocs and they are not balanced. They are terrific though.

Tvad,

Not sure I understand why it has to be monoblocks. Can't you just as easily place a stereo amp between the speakers with short speaker cables, and run the long interconnect around the room to your rack containing the pre and sources? Regardless, most monos are best way to go.

Why does it have to be balanced? I've run balanced preamps into single-ended amps and visa-versa. You can get long runs of Mogami custom-terminated with XLR on one end and RCA on the others. This avoids adaptor connection points.

If "you go 2 out of 3"(i.e. not balanced)then the VAC rens, the Quicksilver Triodes(badboss427 also can tell you alot about these in his rig), or the Dehavilland Aries 845G all make sense, as well as the Atma M60s that you suggested yourself.

The Aries 845G are class A, zero feedback, single-ended, and quite powerful for SET amps. They are designed to drive a wide variety of speakers unlike most SETs. They provide much of the magic that good OTLs possess, without the issue of impedance matching problems. The use the Electoprint trannies, which are supposed to be some of the best available(I'm no techie), perhaps someone else could comment on that. Kara Chafee at Dehavilland has been super in terms of making sure that I get the best performance out of my amps.

If you must stick w/balanced, I'd stay with Atma-Spheres, and make sure you match with speakers that don't dip much below 8ohms at any frequency. IMHO, autoformers degrade the sound too much. Ralph can point you towards many compatible speakers if you need ideas on that. Cheers,
Spencer

09-05-09: Sbank
Can't you just as easily place a stereo amp between the speakers with short
speaker cables, and run the long interconnect around the room to your rack
containing the pre and sources?

Yes, I can, but it's not the installation that we prefer from a standpoint of
aesthetics.

You can get long runs of Mogami custom-terminated with XLR on one end and RCA on the others.

I've made these myself in the past. Yes, it's a possibility. Frankly, though, I hear little difference between XLR>RCA interconnects, and XLR>XLR cables using adapters. I have never detected the sound degradation that so many others comment on. Sometimes I wonder if the so-called sound degradation when using adapters has grown into a myth through a version of "telephone" where readers simply repeat what they've read without actually trying it for themselves.

In any case, I believe there's a benefit to running balanced if it's possible to do so.

... the VAC rens, the Quicksilver Triodes, or the
Dehavilland Aries 845G all make sense, as well as the Atma
M60s...

Yes, these are all heavy contenders. I'm also considering Rogue M-150
monoblocks.

My present speakers dip to about 4.5 ohms. The Atma-Sphere M-60 do not
work with these, and the Dehavilland are probably underpowered.

Ultimately, different speakers are in the future, but how far into the future is
unclear. In fact, the amplifier purchase might be deferred until the new
speakers are acquired, but I was thinking that I might be able to find an amp
that I could use with my present speakers until new speakers are purchased.

I realize I may be asking too much.

There's always autoformers. On the M-60s the Speltz Zeros are not entirely sonically neutral (a bit more neutral on the higher wattage A-S amps) but the small trade off might be an alternate route. On the other hand, I've always liked Mike Sanders gear (still have a pair of the original 8417 monos).

Tim
 

I tried Speltz Zeroformers with the M-60 amps. I didn't care for the sound.

Thanks everyone for some excellent suggestions.

At this point, I'm going to wait a few months and revisit a speaker change
before purchasing a different amp.