Fosgate Audionics 7.1 Tube Preamp

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Wagonmaster_91

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I always wondered if a quad tube amp existed. Or do people just use 2 matched two channel amps?

Would my "quadraBelles" sound better with all tubes?
 
Perhaps we should lobby Involve Audio to make a tube version of the SM? Perhaps they could call it The Surround Master V2ube?
I'd vote for that (particularly as the SM is about the only bit of HiFi kit I've got that isn't valve based)!
I've already suggested the same approach to malcolmlear for his possible Shadow Vector decoder:
https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...w-vector-soundfield-mapping.25293/post-384019
but sadly don't think he'll be adopting the suggestion!
 
I always wondered if a quad tube amp existed. Or do people just use 2 matched two channel amps?

Would my "quadraBelles" sound better with all tubes?

I use a valve stereo integrated amp for the front channels and two valve mono amps for the rear channels. I use separate valve pre-amp for additional input selection and phono equalisation. Oh, and there's a valve CD player as well!

And yes, everything sounds better thermionically processed!
 
I use a valve stereo integrated amp for the front channels and two valve mono amps for the rear channels. I use separate valve pre-amp for additional input selection and phono equalisation. Oh, and there's a valve CD player as well!

And yes, everything sounds better thermionically processed!


Whoa. Over my head and budget. But sounds really nice. I figured I'd get to the point where I needed to try a tube amp w my Belles for the Fronts first and then see where it goes from there.
 
When I was first married a friend loaned me a Dynaco pre-amp & power amp, modified by I think Van Allstine? All tube of course. I was prejudging & predisposed to not like it but also was prepared to be complimentary to my friend. I did'nt have to pretend: it really sounded great! I'm one that would not use the term "warm" to describe because it was clean & detailed. I might use the superlative "liquid" describing my impression'.

These were driving JBL Decade 36 speakers. Today my Infinity speakers drop to a low impedance of .3 ohms. A 25 watt or whatever tube amp could not drive that. I think with tubes there's a lot to consider in matching to the right speaker.
 
I had a similar experience with a Marantz 7C tube preamp. My buddy loaned it to me and I was and am very picky about noise. I "knew" it would hum and hiss.

But it didn't. It was very quiet. It sounded quite adequate. I did not prefer it to my Pioneer C-21 and when it was time to return it I did not drag my feet. He had two of them and I could have gotten them for bargain prices but let him sell them away to strangers. It did have tube output impedance and I was never going to have tube power amps nor electronic crossovers. Tubes don't like to drive transistors.

I would not be interested in any of the current tube gear. I concede it might be wunnerful. But none of the places whose tubes I used to buy are still making tubes. They are all from Russia and China and I don't know (nor care) where else. Gone are the Amperex, Telefunken, Gold Lion and Sylvania tubes I used to prefer. I note that current tubeophiles seem to like GE tubes which I had lots of bad luck with in the seventies. So much so that , that is why I finally turned away from tube gear once and for all. (after spurning the first generation of transistor gear which didn't sound very good at all.) Also tube gear does not measure as well as gear based on modern Op Amp IC chips. Even the discrete component op amps that are supposed to be so great turn out to be so much snake oil when subjected to measurement over at Amir's house. (audiosciencereview.com) Tubes have limited life due to fatigue of their cathode emitter coatings and also get gassy with time. Whether you use them or not.

and $8100???? Really? now reduced to $7,300.
 
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Didn't Conrad-Johnson put out a multichannel tube preamp?
 
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