quiet hiss in backround?

mike i am going to lose my audiogon privileges for asking these questions...i am really not an audiophile, i just love music and great sound. i know some but not much compared to allot of the guys on here...

how much different are tube amps? do they have the same ability i am used to as far as soundstage (it is huge and i suspect allot is the krell), depth, power etc? are they more delicate? how long do tubes last? are you constantly looking for better tubes or do you just use what comes with the amp? am i going to be banned for asking these ?'s?

On those speakers they'll do more than the Krell. They won't be as highly resolving as you're used to. That is what Krell does well. Soundstage should be just as good if not better.

Tubes last a while but if you leave the amp on all the time they'll wear out. You'll probably want an amp that is self biasing which means balance the voltage at the tubes and some track use time. Every once in a while a tube will go out so you might want a good tube tester and a few extras around. I would guess every other year you'll need to change them all out which is nothing more than screwing out the old ones and screwing in the new ones. Yes they require more work than SS but it's not a lot.

Every once in a while a tube will go out so you might want a good tube tester and a few extras around. I would guess every other year you'll need to change them all out which is nothing more than screwing out the old ones and screwing in the new ones. Yes they require more work than SS but it's not a lot.

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My tubes have pins - they aren't threaded.

Thanks for the correction Macrojack. I'm SS these days.

The idea is it's fairly simple. Perhaps you could comment on your experiences?

Sure Mike,

Not much to tell. I have a pair of Audio Mirror 20 watt mono tube amps. They are self-biasing, SET amps and use a quad of output tubes every 2000 hours.

I'm using one of the better horn speakers on the market so my choice of amplifier is somewhat critical, or it would be if I was. Anymore I just turn it on and listen. By the way, I can hear a faint hiss sound in the background even when the preamp is muted. It sounds a little like the rushing sound you hear by holding a seashell up to your ear. Apparently the dbx Drive Rack PA that I use as a crossover/EQ/RTA is meant for pro amps and needs to be stepped down a bit for use with home audio. The tech advisor at dbx suggested Ebtech Line Limiters as a solution. Maybe your preamp is not an ideal match for your amp, Richard.

If you can get $6000 to $7000 for that amp, do it now. There are very satidfactory sounding products available for a fraction of that money. Same goes for the WPs.