Valve amplifiers on the ‘Wants list’

 Valve  amplifiers have been on the Rapallo wishlist for quite some time.

Like with anything in life, running a business is a balancing act between ‘The Wants’, ‘The Needs’ and ‘The Musts’. 

‘The Musts’ cover things like taxes, rent, bills, etc. They are extremely important, it’s definitely better not to ignore those. But I’m sure you won’t be surprised if I say that they are not what makes a business exciting. 

‘The Needs’ are the brands, the products and the people we are committed to as a business, they are hand-picked and represent the core of the business. ‘The Needs’ are extremely valued and appreciated and without them, there would be no business. Fair to say, they are a constant consideration in any decisions we make. 

And then there are ‘The Wants’. When you run an audio-visual business, there is no moment during the day when AV and Hi-Fi is not on your mind. You’re always thinking of ways to improve, to take the next step up, to find ways to meet customers’ needs better. One of the ways we make this happen, is in expanding the product range we are offering. Valve amplifiers have been on ‘the Wants-list’ for quite some time. The thing with ‘Wants’ is that you have to time them carefully. After all, you don’t want to compromise ‘The Musts’ and ‘The Needs’. I mean, do that and the business will go bust pretty quickly. 

So, these valve amplifiers that have been on our Wants list? Timing was (finally!) right to get serious about them. Slowly but steadily we have been expanding the audiophile Hi-fi side of Rapallo and you can’t do that with a straight face without having some decent valve amplifiers in your offerings.

So, what’s the big deal with valve amplifiers?

Most of the amplifiers we know and use are ‘solid-state amplifiers’.  Valve amplifiers kind of relate to the solid-state amplifiers in a very similar way as the turntable relates to the music streamer.

The difference between the two is a bit of a story.

History of Valve Amps

Valve amplifiers were the standard until about the 1960’s. The big thing about valve or tube amplifiers is that they use a ‘triode’.

The triode has three components living in a sealed glass vacuum tube. The three components act as a negative terminal (cathode), a positive terminal (anode) with in between the two a grid of platinum wire.

When the negative terminal or cathode (F) is heated, negatively charged electrons are pulled toward the positively charged plate (b), creating an electric current flow. A negative voltage is also applied to the grid (a), effectively “braking” the flow of electrons. Because the grid (a) is so close to the filament (F), even tiny changes to its voltage will make a huge difference to the current that flows from the filament (F) to the plate (b). If we consider the grid (a) to be the amplifier’s input, the cathode-plate (b) circuit is its output; a small signal applied to the grid (a) can become a much larger, amplified signal at the plate (b). This is the physics behind it in a nutshell, but don’t worry if it doesn’t make too much sense.

The thing to take from it is that these vacuum tubes based on the triode made excellent amplifiers, but they were large, unreliable, and power-hungry. When the  “solid-state” transistor in 1947 was invented, all three problems were wiped of the charts in a single stroke, introducing small, portable, highly reliable amplifiers. When integrated circuits were invented, in the late 1950s, they led to smaller, more complex amplifier circuits packaged as single chips.

You would think that would be the end of the story for the valve amplifier. Think again.

The reason valve amplifiers haven’t disappeared off the earth? They look nice, just like vinyl they offer a retro feel, they sure are a talking point at parties (and forums) and, most importantly of all, they sounds great.

The love for Valve Amplifiers: valve vs solid state

Ask any valve-loving audiophile what they love about their valve amp and they will reply that they provide a much warmer, natural sound, unlike the cold and clinical solid state amps. Valve  amps have a reputation of offering exquisite midrange and treble performance. They also excel in detail, clarity and transparency. Valve amplifiers have a more full-bodied sound. There’s a “roundness” to tube sound that is not equalled by solid-state amplifiers.

But all that love comes with some trade-offs. Audiophiles in the ‘solid-state camp’ will tell you that valve-based amps tend to lack deep, roaring bass,  they will warn you that the valves have a very limited life span and replacements can be costly, they will let you know that valves run hot and may threaten to replace your home’s central heating and they will frown at the fact that valves coat the sonics with a sepia-like warmth. Valve amplifiers are much fussier and less forgiving when not matched with the right speaker (this has to do with the higher output impedance of valve amplifiers).Did we mention valve amps tend to cost an arm and a leg?

BUT these are generalisations. Many valves are longer lived than others and many will outlast the life of the product itself. Many valves run quite cool and you’ll never know that they are there and many valves don’t colour the sound at all.

Our take?

Here’s what: The whole valve amplifier vs. solid state amplifier argument is a useless one in the same way as the analog vs. digital music is a futile one. It’s just different strokes for different folks kinda thing. One is not better than the other. Depending on the design, there are valve amplifiers that sound better than solid state amplifiers and vice versa.

There’s good and not so good in every AV product range category and  valve amplifiers are no different. In one of the forums, the whole discussion of a high-end solid state amplifier vs a high-end valve amplifier was likened to the difference between a Ferrari and a Rolls Royce. Both are highly regarded high-end cars, but they have very different uses and appeal to very different people. Is there a wrong and right one? Absolutely not! Just a different one.

So…

Considering it’s important to us to provide a choice to all of our customers, no matter what camp they are in, for Rapallo, the hunt was on for the outstanding valve amp without the price tag of a car. But these things are a balancing act. Have a quick look around and you will notice that  the market is swamped with low cost valve products. But just because you see a box with a valve sitting in it, doesn’t mean that it’s any good. It takes money, skill and in-depth knowledge of the breed itself to produce a top quality valve amp.

Enter PrimaLuna, Dutch pioneers that have fine-tuned the art of valve amplification in more than one way. This ranges from increased reliability and tube life all the way to a unique signature sound that is lauded for its sound quality, dynamic and bass slam. They are designed for low to no maintenance and the lowest possible distortion for amazing sound.

Cheap? No. But at the same time, you could be spending much, much more on a good valve amplifier of similar quality. Amazing value, is what we say.

Scouting the internet, you can find good reviews for most products. What you really need to pay attention to is when reviewers and retailers put money on the table to get the products for themselves. So here’s what: Rapallo’s audiophile Deano‘s beloved Perreaux amplifier just got the company of a PrimaLuna. I guess all is said.

So, come in and check them out in our showroom. The Rapallo guys will be more than happy to show them off.