2. amps-preamps
  3. 1329817212

Do tube amps benefit from using APS?

After a period with blown output tubes and resistors, I got an APS to protect my tube gear against the unreliable AC current to my house. I got a Pure Power 2000 APS to deliver clean and protected current to my tube gear (ARC VT100 mkII, LS17 and PH5).

What I didn’t expect was a great change in sound. I could not believe that a change outside the signal path could make such an impact. The clarity from the highest to the lowest is much better. The music flows with greater ease and I’m able to play louder because the sound is cleaner. The soundstage is more open and voices are much more lifelike.

In music only trust what you hear by your own ears. Do not trust what you read or what you see or what you are told. In music your own ears are your one and only friend. And remember they are 100% reliable to you. And do not despair, if you can’t put words on what you hear, because the truth of the sound is lodged in your heart and soul. Just trust what you hear.

I don’t care what I’ve read about APS. For me this is the best thing I’ve done for my tube gear and the sound of my playback system.

I was wondering if this is a general experience for using APS with tube gear?
farobari
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
Do a Google Search: "Romy the Cat Pure Power 2000 APS" to read some interesting observations.
spinaker01
293 posts
 
Don't know about the APS (although I am using a conditioner) but tube amps in general appear to be more sensitive to voltage fluctuations than solid state. I own the same ARC amp as you and while I really like it, it does require some very closely matched input tubes (2 matched quads of 6922's) as well as careful attention paid to the biasing procedure. Otherwise blown output tubes and resistors will result. The VT100 Mk3 may be an improvement in this area as the 6H30's appear to be more stable and the circuit design a bit more modern - similar to the REF110 input and driver design. I do have a thing for the ARC house sound!
farobari OP
7 posts
 
Reading what’s on the internet about the PP2000 confuses me more than it helps me. That’s why I advocate people to listen for themselves. We are much more prone to believe what we read instead of making our own opinion, based on the music we actually hear from our system.

I found a great solution to protect my Audio Research gear, especially my “old” VT100mkII that I have built my current system around. I have tried to buy cheap tubes from the internet, but getting the bias right on the VT100mkII was a nightmare. Getting a new set of tubes from Audio Research, including the new KT120 output tube, in combination whit installing the Pure Power 2000 APS, has been a leap forward for me. The low end is tighter and more convincing, the double bass much more true and believable.

To Spinaker01: I’m very happy with the overall sound form the VT100mkII, it’s a classic, and I will hold on to it. My PH5 is also based on the 6922 tube, but my LS17 is based on the new 6H30 tube. My speakers, Amphion Argon2 Anniversary, have titanium tweeters, they are quite revealing and tend to be on the bright side. I understand that the newer ARC amplifiers, from the VT100mkIII on, have input-stages based on JFETS/6H30 (hybrid) instead of all-tube inputs on the VT100mkII that’s based on the 6922 tube. This makes the newer models more revealing, more “see-through”, but also prone to be more “bright”. And that’s not what I want with my current speakers. This is all based on what I’ve read on the internet and not on my own listening!

My next upgrade will be a pair of loudspeakers that function well in combination with my VT100mkII, in a small, well damped and dedicated listening room (12 x 14 ft.).
More to discover