Since I live in Tampa, I recently attended the Audio Expo. Now I am wondering about a tube amp for stereo listening on my One.R’s. Would a 10 watt amp such as the Willsenton 300B improve sound quality over ATI 527? If I switch my AVP to surround for movies, would I need to switch the amp from the tube to the ATI? Thanks for any replies.

fred1942 wrote:

Since I live in Tampa, I recently attended the Audio Expo. Now I am wondering about a tube amp for stereo listening on my One.R’s. Would a 10 watt amp such as the Willsenton 300B improve sound quality over ATI 527? If I switch my AVP to surround for movies, would I need to switch the amp from the tube to the ATI? Thanks for any replies.

Hi fred1942

I'll preface my post by stating that you wrote you would be thankful for any reply.

Nobody can realistically answer whether or not the Willsenton 300B would improve sound quality over ATI 527. That question is rooted in subjectivity, so only you can decide on whatever your preferences are. IMO, it's always good to have options, so the fact that you would have two different amps affords you just that, options.

I don't know about your AVP switching question except to point out that if you happen to listen to movies at high sound pressure levels, that could present an issue as a 10 watt amp conceivably could "clip" if you're not careful with the throttle (i.e. volume control). Likely no issue there either as the Triton's are efficient enough that even 1 watt can produce a sense of "loud" listening.

Best.

Hal

Hi fred1942, Your question is a tough one. Ultimately, the character of sound produced by a quality, Class A tube amp (the Willsenton 300B) will be different than the ATI 527 Class D amplifier. The question becomes... would you prefer the sound of the tube amp over your current amplifier or not? I would expect the tube amp to have a "warmer" presentation of sound, but I'm not sure if you would consider that an improvement or not. Maybe, you could audition/purchase the Willsenton amp - with the option of returning or exchanging it?

I would expect the Willsenton to play at a "moderate to moderately loud" volume, whereas, your ATI amp could play noticeably louder. Happy Listening!

Thanks for your input. I have it figured out. Will use tube amp for music and ATI for movies. I found an AB switching device on Amazon tha will make switching amps very easy.
The Tampa Audio Expo was very interesting. Most of the companies there were ones I have never heard of. I did not see Goldenear. Legacy has a class D amp that looks and sounds good. 14 floors of audio gear at the Embassy Suites. I ran out of steam after walking up 11 floors.