tube versus ss for jbl

[angel mercado]

hey guys what would you recommend im running these jbl l200b at the moment with a onkyo intergrated amp i can get a dynaco st70 for 200 bucks but ill still need a preamp should i stick with the onkyo or get tube amp then a preamp

[mike]

When I owned L200B's I drove them with Mcintosh and Marantz tube amps. At the time I thought it was a good match but over the years I've come to favor solid state amps with JBL speakers. JBL's really need the better damping ability of a good solid state amp. This is especially true for the larger JBL's.
Mike

[boputnam]

Hey, Angel...

I'm drenched in Onkyo's, and have run cabinets like the L200 with Integrated's - most work fine. I have found, however, that the older versions have weak bass response, in-spite of their "specifications". I've A/B'd older vs newer Onkyo's, and newer is better. In the bedroom I've got a A-8190 that works great, and has full bass. The rest of my rigs are all preamp, EQ, power amps setups and that's 'cause I'm goofy about this stuff... :nutz:

NB: I would avoid the Onkyo M-504 power amp. It has no bottom-end. Period.

[angel mercado]

the one i have is a asv240 and a t4040 tuner i think its rated at 105watts a channel according to the orion blue book

[Maron Horonzakz]

I run my JBL system with all KRELL what a slam that gives to the music. Takes the green off your teeth.

[Robh3606]

Hello Angel

I am using Crown PS-200 in my mains and Crown DC150 Series 2 for my XPL's. All solid state. Works for me.

Rob:)

[Roddyama]

Hi Mike,

I've tried a lot of different amps with my horns (the ones in my avatar) and the best bang for the buck I've found are with the NAD amps of the 80's (haven't tried the new ones). They're not the absolute best, but they're pretty good, and you can buy them all day long on eBay for a song.

I have never tried the Onkyos, but the sounding SS amp I've used was an Audio Research D50. It sounded almost as good as my old (1960 vintage) Mac 30's. The problem with me and tube is that tubes make me neurotic. Every noise I hear is one of the tubes going bad.

Currently I building a pair of Pass Labs Aleph clones. We'll see how that goes.

BTW, have you done any tweaks to your 200's?

[JBL Dog]

Originally posted by Maron Horonzakz
I run my JBL system with all KRELL what a slam that gives to the music. Takes the green off your teeth.

So, I guess when I go in for my semi-annual check-up I need to have a Krell and some JBL's in tow?

:hmm:

"Trust me, Doc! It works!!"

:rotfl:

My Metregon loves the McIntosh combo of MC240/C22. Solid State JBL SA600 is pretty darn good, too!

:D

This message comes from JBL Dog :band:

[Mr. Widget]

I am not sure how a Krell can remove "green" from your teeth, but it most assuredly removes copious quantities of green from your wallet.:D :D :D

[Ian Mackenzie]

Angel,

The ST 70 is an an olf favorite audiophile valve amp, If you ever biamp..best for that..

The Cary SE 35+35 has a nice tight bass and good value for under $2000 SH.

Depends if you can go for a pre power (Crown or Hafler)or just integrated (Nab and Rotel a good buys).

Avoid harsh SS amps, that said a Rotel or even Musical Fidelity A300 would be nice.

I use a Passlabs X Aleph which is a mix of the best tube/SS sound.

Ian

[angel mercado]

wow what do you people do for a living some of the stuff you have is awesome maybe if i opened up a meth lab :D but then i have to make more money to get my :moon: out of jail ill just stick to my poor man audio for now

[Oldmics]

Wow,Most of you guys are SS users.That really surprises me!!! My stuff is all tube driven.Probably enough tube stuff here to warm the house this winter.Between the Nixie clock and "The Fisher" gear, tubes will always be the mainstay in all of my serious audio listening locations.Mostly the old "Fisher" X101 series that use the EL 84 output tubes.They have all been rebuilt using auricaps thruout entirely and these 15 watt per side amps sound fabulous.I have a few homebrews and really esoteric (W.E.) that sound interesting but I use "The Fisher" gear for consistancy at all my listening locations.The only SS amp I would consider as a close second for tube quality is from Crest.

Oldmics

[angel mercado]

hey oldmics i have a fisher tube reciever model 400 i did like it and it really sound good with the jbl l200b but i cant replace tube so im scared of using it i got 3 of these for free when i helped my friend move in some mattress in his storage 2 didnt work but one did and after i cleaned it it was near mint

[Oldmics]

Hey Angel,those "Fisher" 400 units are a great place to start for tube listening pleasure.Those are an integrated reciever,pre amp and amp combo.A bit complicated for a beginner electronics guy to go through.Perhaps sell the two lesser units on eBay ,then take the profits and send the remaining unit to one of the tube gurus for restoration.They are good sounding units.Make sure you keep the wooden case the 400 fits in if you have it.Best regards,Oldmics

[lpd]

Hey old mics you aren't the only one here to match tubes and JBL's. I have tried a few combos on my JBL 4333's and here are my personal findings.

I tried a Dyna 70 (upgraded power supply, driver board) and found the midrange to be desirable, but the bass flabby (if that is a word) and lacking.

I tried an Acoustat TNT 200 ss amp and found it somewhat grainy in the midrange and top end had a shrill.

I have experimented with a Threshold S-150 ss amp and found it to have very great soundstage, tight bass and I can listen to it for hours on end.

Lastly to add to the repetoire, I have introduced a pair of Quicksilver KT88 monoblock (60 watt tube amps) to these speakers and am very surprised with the output I get. great midrange, as romantic as the Threshold but not near as beamy, more air and depth to individual instruments, and the bass, is great. Not as fast and tight as the Threshold, but theres enough ooomph to satisfy my tastes. I find the tube mono blocks a little more balanced all together.

I use a Counterpoint SA-1000 hybrid pre-amp and a McIntosh MCD 7007 cd player for a source (turntable is on the fritz).

[locanti]

Hi LPD

I agree with that.I try a lot of SS amps from JBL or CROWN PA amps to SANSUI G8000 receiver or HK CITATION XX and always found mid bass confused.Now I use an AUDIO RESEARCH CL30 in bass and a home build 7591A tubes amps(Based on the heathkit A50/A100 amp)for the mid bass and it just sound as I wish.Clear and "silky" together.:cool:

[Triumph Don]

What a strange audio world I live in. No custom stuff here. Pair of L300's, powered by a Crown DC 300 A, for years. 15. "Updated" w/ refoaming and cleaned up [12 ga] internal wireing, Mc 2100. Wow, no longer painfull highs! No bass, either! Love the look and rep, got a Mc 2255[250x2]. Damping factor of 40@whatever. DC300 is 400[not to open a very opionated can of worms]. Buddy came over recently w/ a "upgraded-Mint" Mc 240, no tri, bi hookup. Just "A-B". Gave it a very lengthly comparo, lots of different music [I'm 48, 3 older bros] with regulated amounts of Guinness. Tubes got hot, music was cooking, and while the "warm, tender and sensitive" tube sound did make me smile, I think 15" JBL's w/horns and L77's deserve better. Still have the DC300, is there Bi Amp potential here? Ideas how could this happen?

[Roddyama]

Don,

Take a look at my avatar on page 1 of this thread. Better yet, I've attached a pic. I've been tri-ampping for years. There are 2 - LE10A's in refinished L77 boxes which does very well for the mid-bass down to about 80Hz. It has a natural closed box roll-off at ~65Hz so I just use a single cap before the mid-bass amp for a hi-pass filter. The subs have an active lo-pass at ~80Hz @ 18db/oct. Then I cross to the mid-horns at 1200Hz like the 4343 monitors. The 077's are best on the top octave crossing above 10kHz. It would take a little rearranging, but you have all the parts minus the active xovers.

[Ian Mackenzie]

This slightly off topic.....

Regards the mid bass confusion there are many reasons for this and more often than not its room positioning.

That said I was quite surprised by the bass quality of a recent diy effort involving a low powered amp of 36 watts RMS.

The design, of pure class A SS origin with little feedback operates in a special balanced mode with very high bias current. (+ - + to speaker)

The amp has a specified damping factor of 30 but the subjective impression is one of absolute bass clarity and dynamics.

My theory is this is due in part to power supply not being in the return path to the speaker and the damping factor is not reliant of thr use of large amounts of feedback as per most amps..

Ian