Recommendations for a valve amp (for Hi-Fi)

[RichB]

I fancy putting together a new hi-fi but with a retro styled valve amp. I have some really great Kef speakers and have my eyes on retro turntable. I will need a CD player too but obviously that cannot be retro Just fancy something interesting to stand alongside the turntable. Thoughts?

[Sandy59]

RichB said:

I fancy putting together a new hi-fi but with a retro styled valve amp. I have some really great Kef speakers and have my eyes on retro turntable. I will need a CD player too but obviously that cannot be retro Just fancy something interesting to stand alongside the turntable. Thoughts?

I have this one, it looks the part and sounds great -https://iconaudio.com/stereo-60-mkiii-kt120-kt150-integrated-amplifier-stereo-60-mkiii-1

[Harfi88]

Another vote for the Icon, they look and sound fantastic

[wolfracesonic]

I think for any meaningful recommendations you need to indicate some kind of budget, some generic Chinese tat or Audionote Ongaku end of the spectrum.

[RichB]

True, I will get ack to you on that.

[toasty]

wolfracesonic said:

I think for any meaningful recommendations you need to indicate some kind of budget, some generic Chinese tat or Audionote Ongaku end of the spectrum.

AN Ongaku was my first thought.

[RichB]

Knowing very little about the subject I was drawn to this partly for its unusual looks and of course everyone on Pistonheads likes a V12



https://positive-feedback.com/Issue78/ear_v12.htm

[s2000db]

Unison Research do a nice range of valve amps from the sublime to the ridiculous, also you can get a CD player with a valve output stage from the same company. (CDE for example)..

[P700DEE]

RichB said:

Knowing very little about the subject I was drawn to this partly for its unusual looks and of course everyone on Pistonheads likes a V12



https://positive-feedback.com/Issue78/ear_v12.htm

Great amplifier, Tim De Paravicini design/made loads of realy good valve amps. You can't go far wrong with them but they are not cheap.
http://www.earyoshino.com/
Such a shame he passed last year, great guy always enjoyed his demonstrations at Hi-Fi shows.

[psi310398]

wolfracesonic said:

I think for any meaningful recommendations you need to indicate some kind of budget, some generic Chinese tat or Audionote Ongaku end of the spectrum.

Also, I assume integrated? Will you need a separate phono stage or do you want one built in?

At the dearer end of the market, I have an Audio Research integrated VSI60. It is quite capable of driving even relatively insensitive speakers.

It is not, however, significantly better than the old Audiovalve Assistent 20 that I have in a cupboard somewhere. This is an odd German design that I bought from The old Walrus HiFi shop in W1. (It is in a caisson body.) Audiovalve makes some seriously good stuff. There is/was a similar one on eBay from a dealer for less than a grand recently.

Both need a phono stage if a turntable is to be connected. I’ve had relatively cheap Clearaudio stages hooked up with less bother than my main valve jobby that sometimes feeds back to the amp.

[RichB]

I have a recently acquired Transcriptor Hydraulic turntable with a B&O MCC1 cartridge (moving coil). I have a couple of hundred vinyl albums and a probably more CDs that I will want to play through the set-up. I've already got Kef tower speakers that I want to keep and use.

[wolfracesonic]

^That looks very nice, I think an Ongaku would look right at home next to it.

[Ptolemy]

Have a look at Croft Acoustics. They're made by hand in England.