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Are mono tube amps my best choice?

I own a Denon 5910 multi disc player as my only source, which I’ve been running into a Burson buffer gain device, and then through two separate passive volume controls. From there I’ve been feeding my four B&K M200 mono amps to my Silverline Grandeur ll speakers. This setup actually sounds pretty nice.

Because my M200s are now over twenty years old, I’m thinking about switching to mono tube amps. I’ve never had tubes in anything I’ve owned. Because my wife and I watch movies (and listen to music), I don’t have space in the middle of the room for a single amp (only 4 inches of height). My stands, passive preamp, and wiring are geared for mono amps.

I live near Sacramento, California, and emailed Min at tubeaudiolab with my room specs and setup to see what he thought would work best. He recommended a pair of mono amps with Kt 88 tubes that produce approximately 60 watts per channel. From the reviews I’ve seen, it appears Min makes some pretty good equipment.

I’m hoping for some Audiogon wisdom to show me the way. Am I making the right choice switching to tube amps? I don’t want to spend more than $2000.
kevine
kevine OP
35 posts
 
Audiofeil,

I've been to Alan's Silverline showroom. He uses solid state Pass amplifiers. But, I know Alan has also made custom tube amps to use with his Silverlines. Alan's lawyer was visiting when I was there a few years ago. He was bragging about the "sweet sounding" tube amps Alan made for his Grand La Folia Silverline Speakers.
paulfolbrecht
586 posts
 
If the Silverlines are not intended for SET and do not have a friendly impedance/phase in the bass you might get some significant colorations with a high Zout SET amp...
tvad
9,467 posts
 
08-02-09: Paulfolbrecht
If the Silverlines are not intended for SET and do not have a friendly impedance/phase in the bass you might get some significant colorations with a high Zout SET amp...
It depends on the Silverline model. They are not all designed the same.
rodman99999
3,557 posts
 
Kevine- I'm using a pair of modded Cary SLM-100s on top, and a modded TransNova 9505 on the bottom. A modded TacT RCS 2.2X does the crossover and room correction duties. By, "correctly" I mean balancing the levels of the top and bottom, as the power capabilities of your amps would be so different. An active crossover(such as a Dahlquist DQ-LP1 or a Tact) is the best way to success in bi-amping. BUT- You CAN experiment with passive bi-amping via your attenuators. You wouldn't need one on the top(tube amps), but just to bring the level of the SS amps down to match that of the mains(providing the Burson unit has a level control). You want to try tubed monoblocks anyway. While you have everything with which to experiment(when you get the tubed amps); why not give it a try? Bet you like it! =8^)
kevine OP
35 posts
 
Rodman99999,

Thanks for getting back to me. This sounds intriguing. I'll do more research on this. I'm still waiting for Alan at Silverline to email me back.
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