# New Milbert Tube Amp



## robert_wrath

It's called *Liquid* Price *$1,950*:

Milbert Amplifiers, Most Musical Amplifiers


----------



## subwoofery

Interesting... Too bad this thread went unnoticed... 

Thanks, 
Kelvin


----------



## robert_wrath

subwoofery said:


> Interesting... Too bad this thread went unnoticed...
> 
> Thanks,
> Kelvin


Isn't it sick? This is likely the ONLY SQ Oriented forum on the net (in America) & nothing but crickets on the issue.


----------



## shell.shock

internals?

As the website said, it is "only" a BaM230 in a new "ugly" case.....


----------



## robert_wrath

The only member on this forum who may actually have the in his possession is _*tristan20*_. I wanna hear some of the feedback for this puppy (good or bad).


----------



## robert_wrath

cajunner said:


> I'd be surprised if that's the truth.


Have you seen a glimpse of this guy's collection? Search thru his posts, you'll understand.


----------



## robert_wrath

Anyone audition or seen this amplifier at work? Please chime in on the thread.


----------



## Guest

This new Milbert has peaked my interest also....

I've heard the BAM's and they were impressive.


----------



## robert_wrath

SQ_MDX said:


> This new Milbert has peaked my interest also....
> 
> *I've heard the BAM's and they were impressive.*


That's a mere understatement. The BaM's are The Bourne Ultimatum Amplifiers.


----------



## AVIDEDTR

IMHO as good as they probably do sound, what is with all the silk screening? Crickets is because i'd estimate about 20 members on this site will ever hear, touch or really use one to it's optimal abilities.


----------



## robert_wrath

AVIDEDTR said:


> IMHO as good as they probably do sound, what is with all the silk screening?* Crickets is because i'd estimate about 20 members on this site will ever hear, touch or really use one to it's optimal abilities.*


Much similar to the Audison Thesis Line of amplifiers.


----------



## flecom

$2k for a tube amp? 

and I thought people were asking too much for McIntosh tube amps! yikes!

maybe I should start making 12v tube amps hehe


----------



## subwoofery

flecom said:


> $2k for a tube amp?
> 
> and I thought people were asking too much for McIntosh tube amps! yikes!
> 
> maybe I should start making 12v tube amps hehe


Make one that is as good as this one and sell it for half the price - I'll surely buy 1 from you  
BTW, I own a this amp's big brother (the Milbert BaM-235ab) so I know how a tube amp should perform  

Kelvin


----------



## flecom

are these amps OTL?

if so pretty sure I can meet that challenge

I have owned some very high end home tube amps so I assure you I too know what they should sound like 

and those had transformers so better than an OTL, but space being a concern don't think that's an option for a car amp


----------



## subwoofery

I know the Milbert GAGA is transformerless but I'm pretty sure the BAM has an output transformer that prevents the output tubes from blowing up if you use it @ full output territory... 

Kelvin


----------



## flecom

found some pictures online, output tubes appear to be 6C33C? Can't find much documentation on these amps *at all*

curious how he crammed 30wpc of tube into such a small chassis... 30wpc of tube amplification is quite a bit

personally think a properly designed hybrid amp can sound 99% as good and would be much cheaper/smaller/efficient


----------



## tmieczkowski

i've bolted a few bam 230's in. if you want my opinion, just ask


----------



## obrie391

My plan is to use a milbert amp with HAT mid / mid-woofer up front .does anyone think the tube sound would be too soft without a tweeter? Also any recommendations for an active crossover ?


----------



## Golden Ears

obrie391 said:


> My plan is to use a milbert amp with HAT mid / mid-woofer up front .does anyone think the tube sound would be too soft without a tweeter? Also any recommendations for an active crossover ?





obrie391 said:


> My plan is to use a milbert amp with HAT mid / mid-woofer up front .does anyone think the tube sound would be too soft without a tweeter? Also any recommendations for an active crossover ?



After talking to Al from Milbert, I am seriously considering this amp. 

For decades at home I have been a planar speaker enthusiast. I have used solid state electronics for speed and clarity.

Then, I heard a set of speakers with Scan Speak drivers driven by Tubes that won a Brutus award from Positive Feeback, and thought.... wow...dynamic drivers can sound great, they just need tubes to drive them.


I am not an electrical engineer...but I have been thinking about why dynamic drivers sound better with tubes.

A planar speakers moving parts are nearly massless. If F=MA then F must be pretty small to stop or start a driver. And the diaphram likely can not induce much- if any- back EMF into the system.

A cone speakers moving parts have significant mass. The spider, surround cone and coil and coil housing all move. It seems like Solid State electronics may be more negatively (or less positively depending on how you look at it) influenced by back EMF than Tubes. Also the distortion profile for tubes shows we actually like a small amount of tube distortion to make music appear more impactful and to add even harmonics which are euphonically pleasing.

Great solid state is great sounding, (Pass Labs, Spectral, some older Krell KSA series and Mark Levinson ML-2 and ML-3) but there is so little of it- and none for car. McIntosh is good for car and Nelson Pass did design a few Sound Stream amps. 

No class D sounds "Great" to my ears yet..though Class D's time with DSD directly modulating class D without the need for D/A conversion is coming (there's no D/A converter like not needing a D/A converter right?) . Spectral can sound good, as can Pass labs. But in general most tube designs beat most solid state designs for musicality.

I had been aware of Milbert amps since I read about Earl Zausmer competing with them ...I had no idea David Berning designed them and that the pedigree was so strong as to make it a reference component for an Editor of Stereophile and to be highly regarded by Robert Reina of TAS in terms of their 110vt model.

I may have to add a pair of these bridged to my system.


----------



## justicepool

Just curious what price you were quoted on the Milbert Liquid Tube amp?


----------



## Golden Ears

I think those Liquids are around $2100 MSRP. The auto bias one is the one to get though.


----------



## knever3

Drool

I would love to hear one of these, or be a fly on the wall for Earl's BMW. One of the most influential installs for me in the last 15 years.


----------



## samual

The new liquid Milbert is merely $1000 cheaper than its big brother BAM235ab. Would love to hear how the sound different.


----------



## Golden Ears

The main difference is the auto bias circuit, it could be possible that the power supply is bigger on the more expensive one.

The Auto bias looks initially very appealing , but for instance I have an Audio Research Tube amp at home. The manual calls for 65mA at the tubes for bias current. I tried several other settings of 56, 57, 57.4, 57.2 and 58 sounded the most true to real life. Oddly a tube guru later told me to use 57mA ( unsolicited ) so I can not be the only insane one. I bought me cryro treated NOS Svetlana wing C 6550 tubes and sure enough even with the new tubes 57mA was the ticket I tried a variety of bias settings again.

Auto bias might not let you do this. Or perhaps it can be defeated if needed. Then again David Berning might have nailed it.... I wonder what bias vtage and tubes Earl used?


----------



## 2DEEP2

obrie391 said:


> My plan is to use a milbert amp with HAT mid / mid-woofer up front .does anyone think the tube sound would be too soft without a tweeter? Also any recommendations for an active crossover ?


I heard Earl's BMW with both B&W 801 set ups with Milberts.

The first car was better in my opinion; however, the surprise was the ATTACK!

It was the first time I hard a car system with life like attack.

Many horn cars had dynamics. Even Earl played his system loud (too loud in my opinion). I even heard car that sped up the CD.

Earl's car had attack (very good transient response)! 

It also had it's signature British sound (like Music Fidelity stuff).

As mentioned by Golden Ears, it may had a to do with mixing the tube amps with a metal dome tweeter and B&W drivers. His Tweeters and mids had few to no early reflection by popping out the dash.

I don't have a lot time listening to HAT tweeters to know which or how they would sound with a tube amp. 

I think HAT Mid and Woofer will do well.


----------



## Victor_inox

subwoofery said:


> Make one that is as good as this one and sell it for half the price - I'll surely buy 1 from you
> BTW, I own a this amp's big brother (the Milbert BaM-235ab) so I know how a tube amp should perform
> 
> Kelvin


I`m next in line after you.


----------



## Golden Ears

I'm also thinking of getting one for a client, I think it might be the holy Grail car audio.


----------

