New Tube amp... WOW!!?!?!!

[Alaska_guy]

Decided to take the plunge as I have been tube curious for a while... Bought the Reisong A10 EL34 tube amp direct from the seller. I went with the direct wired version. I have it paired to my Ascend 170SE's and using my computer as the source.

My room is 10x10 with acoustic panels on the side walls only and commercial carpet glued to the concrete floor. No other room treatments.

I have my ascend speakers placed on a ledge almost against the wall which is not the best config, but due to my room layout it's the only way I can make them work as its also my office and I use the speakers for other uses during the day for work.

Ok... I have tried Denon receivers, yamaha, sony etc. They all sounded ok especially if your a critical listener, however I felt they lacked depth realism etc. I then moved up to a Crown XLS1502 amp. It livened the dynamics up in the speaker but just not what I was looking for...

I now have the speakers paired to the tube amp and WOW!!! I don't know if I will ever be able to go back to solid state ever again for music! Piano and strings sound real, they create that bass that you should "feel" when playing an instrument. I don't know how to explain it... Before my speakers were like a bagel and my amp was the cream cheese. Before my speakers sounded thin and accurate but were missing that musical touch. Now with the tube amp its like you put on that cream cheese super thick and made it richer and better all around.

I can now 100% say these speakers are SUPER capable, you just need to pair them up to a decent amp! I can't imagine the sierras with this amp. I am curious what some of you are using for front end components. I used to think different amps made ZERO difference to the audio tone and overall performance. I can say I am now a believer! Front end equipment MATTERS!

[racrawford65]

Nice amp!

I run a Rogue Audio Atlas Magnum II Tube amp with my Sierra Towers w/ RAAL for front left/right.

Luna Duo (center) & S2's (surround) powered by amps in the MRX720, HTM200 (ATMOS) powered by Emotiva UPA-7.

Source components: Oppo 203, Oppo 103D, Roku, VPI Classic I Turntable (with upgrades) --> Bob's Devices SUT --> Manley Chinook --> Sweet Vinyl Sugar Cube (if needed). Current cartridge is VAS Nova Special.

[Alaska_guy]

I have fell back in love with these speakers. Man, what a difference an amplifier makes! My biggest complaint has always been, clapping sounds "fake". It's so realistic now. Wife doesn't want me spending anymore money, but I am really tempted to buy a pair of sierras. The amp absolutely transformed these speakers for the better!

I guess I wanted to let others know if they feel these speakers are "too accurate" that a warmer sounding amp can make all the difference in the world. My current living room speakers are AR90's (vintage) and they are super warm and too laid back. I moved my crown XLS1502 to power those and that has also helped tremendously as it gave them more dynamics and thinned them out so they sound more neutral. Overall I am very happy with my setup, but I can't stop thinking what some sierras would do.

[racrawford65]

Go for it -- early Christmas present to yourself :-)

[Alaska_guy]

Just for reference, I have the HTM 200's and the 340's as well. Unfortunantly my kids knocked the 200's off the stands and broke them. I have the 340's in place in my bedroom with a denon AV receiver and last night I decided to listen to some music that I normally listen to with my 170's and the tube amp. Holy cow. If one didn't know better they would have assumed the 340's were complete junk speakers. I literally had to turn off the music after about 10 seconds! Couldn't believe an amp could make such a difference. I was telling the wife now I gotta try putting the 340's in my office/listening room and see how they sound.

I told the wife I was going to buy another amp for our bedroom and her response was "do you seriously need good sound in every room of the house?" I am sure you can guess my response, YES!

[chas]

If you hook the tube amp up to the 340's let us know how it sounds. Are they SE's?

[Birdy]

Thanks for sharing your review on the Reisong A10. I was also looking into this tube amp and glad to hear you enjoyed it so much. My thoughts are the same on tube amp pairing! Instead of the Reisong, I wanted something more future proof and purchased the Willsenton R8 tube amplifier pairing with the original Sierra 1’s. I was previously using the Cambridge Audio 540a v2 and Harmon Kardon AVR 2600. I had no problem using those with the Sierras but was always curious about tube amplifiers. I first tried the Monoprice hybrid tube amplifier and that did not work out at all. The sound quality was a complete downgrade but I did like the looks a lot. Here I am today, enjoying the Sierra 1’s with the R8 and everything sounds better. Similar to you, overall a fuller sound, more warmth, punchy tight bass and beautiful vocals. Almost like the speaker transformed. I’m just a casual listener and my focus is a minimalist two speaker stereo system. I first started my Ascend journey 15 years ago with the 170’s, to the 340’s, and shortly to the Sierra 1’s with HSU MK2 subwoofer. Although with a budget constraint, now thinking about the Sierra 2EX if I can get it used or bstock to complete the system.