[Peter Wieck]

Please note the interpolations and semi-rant at the end.

On Sunday, November 23, 2014 7:06:19 PM UTC-5, Low Hertz wrote:
I am looking to replace my current solid state unit.

I see some tube units on EBAY, made in China. A friend tells me they would be good if the tubes were all replaced. I have read reports that the units
are cheaply made, with bad solder connections and such.

Yes, and yes-and-no. Yes, Chinese tubes are suspect. Yes, Chinese tubes have been known to melt down with spectacular results far more often than tubes from other sources. No, I would not put a Chinese tube in anything I own for front-line use. Yes, I have a few Chinese tubes that I reserved for testing purposes - never outside my immediate sight, however.

As to wiring and component quality: spotty, very spotty. _EVERY_ Chinese-made piece of (finished) tube equipment I have seen has had some QC and management problems. Many pieces of other-source equipment has had the occasional QC and management problem. I would be prepared to entirely re-solder anything from a Chinese source, and I would replace every tube rectifier out-of-hand with something from somewhere else. The output tubes I would watch like a hawk, but allow to stay until they fail. The small-signal tubes vary from OK to wretched, but seldom fail such that they take out everything.

Bottom line: there is enough legacy equipment out there that I would NOT purchase Chinese iron new or used.

I also am a professional musician, and can not tolerate distortion, even
if it's the natural harmonics associated with tubes. I remember hearing
a Fisher or Scott unit years ago, and the distortion was horrible to me.

There are some issues with the early Fisher and Scott units out there - some blame the voltage-doubler circuits, some blame the lack of a choke, some blame this and that. But the bottom line is that you might consider giving them another go-round as they are reasonably well thought of these days.

I want a well made unit that does not require modifications to keep for the rest of my life.

Lets you out of _every_ piece of legacy equipment in OEM condition out there, full stop. And now will boost the cost of this quest to at least four (4) figures, if not five for that level of reliability.

I can't afford vintage McIntosh, though they are clean and free of distortion. Obviously, one is paying for the name.

Yes, and no. If you are accepting legacy McIntosh, that will be much cheaper than some of the US/Euro tube stuff new these days. Given your other parameters, that is where I suggest you start, and likely finish.

As a musician, I have always preferred the sound of warm tube amplifiers, but most prefer the sound of acoustic instruments.

Here is the thing (and others here will throw up their hands in horror): that Rodney Dangerfield of tube amps - the Dynaco ST70, tweaked and modded such even rank amateur capable of following a cook-book recipe and using a soldering iron could do it in a relatively few hours, combined with a PAS3X (tweaked/modded the same) will give you excellent and blameless results at a relatively low cost. Not only that, but every part and piece of those beasts is available in the after-market such that lifetime maintenance is not an issue. Nor will you ever lose money on one assuming you purchase wisely in the first place.

So, if your budget is under $1,000 - go with Dynaco, bite the bullet and learn a little about the beasts, make your choice(s) of mods and go there.

$5,000 - $10,000: Look for vintage McIntosh.

No Limit: Audition some of the presently-in-production tube systems, US or Euro origin.

$1,001 - $4,999: you will have many opportunities but will have to know your stuff and be willing to make repairs, clean, upgrade, and so forth.

Whatever you do and wherever you do it, make sure that you get to audition whatever it is _AT HOME_ with a guaranteed return policy. You will not be easy to please, and so you need to insure yourself against an unhappy commitment. The exception being Dynaco - if the iron (transformers)is good, the rest will follow as the options are many.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA