Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Hybrid Tube Amplifiers, anyone use these?

Yes, John, an amplifier should neither add nor subtract anything from the audio signal ... but there is no amplifier which meets your idealized criterion. Your belief that all 'well designed' amps meet this idealized standard is ... interesting. Your idealization dissolves all real world differences between amps.

I have many amps ... they range from $25 digital 5 wpc T-Amp (with some mods) to a multi thousand dollar multi-channel Anthem, with a gaggle of Yamaya M-80s, Onkyo Integra M-504s, a pristine Kenwood KA9100, and an Antique Sound Labs SET 5 wpc tube amp numbered in my amp armory. The differences are subtle but as you live with them you get to know them. Some handle low impedence speaker loads well, some don't. Some provide slam, some low level detail, some both. Some just sound sweeter, not inaccurate or plummy, just sweeter ... you can't describe this to someone who will not hear.

For me, I agree with the fella above who prefers his tube system for 2 channel music listening. So do I. My multi channel systems range from a 5 channel Anthem amp driven 5.1 to a 7.1 system driven by 3 Yamah M80s and an Integra M504. I have to say I also really like my $25 2 channel system, and my Kenwood KA9100 2 channel system.

So, for reference:

[2 channel stereo] ASL MG S1 15DT, Ah! NT4000(mod), Michaura M66s, Velodyne CHT10.

[2 channel stereo] Kenwood KA9100, Sony CA9ES CDP, Dahlquist DQM905s, Modifieid Kenwood SW300 amp

[2 channel stereo] T-Amp (modified) Michaura M55s (sometimes Axiom M3tis) Vance Dickason Titanic 10" sub, Pioneer

Anthem PVA5 amp, Sony TAE9000ES processor, Sony DVP S7000, 2xMichaura M665s, Mission DS77ES surrounds, modified Merak MC634 center with supertweeter, Dahlquist PDQ1500 (modified) subwoofer;

Integra DTC 9.4 processor, 3xYamaha M80 amps, Integra M504 amp, Thiel CS3.6's, Axiom QS8s, Merak MC634C modified with supertweeter, SVS 20-39

a pair of Axiom M2e's and M3Tis for swapping around in 2 channel systems.

I've swapped amps and speakers in my 2 channel systems, and can say that after living with these systems for a while, different amps have different sound qualities ... just is.