Galion always delivers. So many tube amps to choose from. What’s in the box vs affordability is always a concern. Circuitry is on point. No corners cut. Nothing lacking in this build as far as bottlenecks in flow. This is a sound build!
Not being in the market for a vacuum tube amp but curious as always I’ve seen every tube amp video on TH-cam and have to say that your decision to procure this amp was 100% on point. Congrats and well done! Easily the right choice. She’s a looker!!!
I've had the Galion TS120SE for about 3 weeks now and it's just getting better and better. At the moment listening to Class A with B tone control and the bass & soundstage is spectacular. I felt Kate Bush was in the room with me too! A fantastic amp.
That's great to hear @pjono77! I have noticed an improvement as it "burns in". I've also noticed better bass response after it's been on for more than a couple of hours.
I love tube amps, too -- as much for the way they look as for how they sound. Of course, those who say they don't like tone controls because they want to "hear the music the way it was meant to be heard" are either being willfully naive or disingenuous. Every amp, every pre-amp, every tube (and kind of tube -- KT-88, EL34, 300B...), every cartridge, every stylus, every player, every DAC, every recording, every pressing, every playback format, every streaming file format, every speaker, every speaker position, every room and room treatment -- some say every interconnect cable or length of speaker wire... has its own sound. Nobody knows what the music is going to sound like to you, sitting or standing in a particular position in your room, at a particular point in time (have you just come home? have you been listening for hours? what's the weather like? what kind of mood are you in?). Your own set-up, your brain, and all your senses determine what music sounds like at any given moment. Everything else is relatively minor compared to that...
I have to say I've come around to the use of tone controls - and for all of the reasons you mentioned. I even have a video produced about it that I plan to publish soon. It was great to read your response - my head was nodding the entire time.
I’ve always appreciated Neil and the band. It wasn’t until I was older that I began to really get what made them great. They are on a fairly consistent rotation these days.
THANKS RICK 🤗 FOR GIVING THE GALION 120 an HONEST OBJECTIVE REVIEW 👍 THOMAS HAS WORKED 😅 SO HARD TO BRING IT TO MARKET AND WITH ALL THE OPTIONS AND YOUR SHARING YOUR THOUGHTS 💭 AND WITH YOUR EXPERIENCE…IS A GREAT SERVICE TO ALL THE OLD SCHOOL AUDIOPHILES …THAT THEY CAN HAVE THEIR CAKE 🍰 AND EAT IT TOO 😋💚💚💚
The bass is controlled and definitely present. A subwoofer would help but that's not a shortcoming of the amp. My next upgrade will be speakers - the search is on!
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords NH here too. I figure when it's time to buy the economical U-Turn, I'll take a little ride down to Woburn & pick one out at the factory. 🔈🔉🔊
@@TriAmpHiFi I have one of the custom orbits that I purchased a couple years ago. They have a new model with some enhanced features (like the groove in the platter for the belt - finally!). You won't be disappointed with it or any of their models.
Thanks for the full review of the Galion. I was also considering this amp along with Primaluna. I settled on a Willsenton R300, 300B tube amp. Primarily because of it being a 300B, plus lower cost. I'm not quite ready to get to the $3550 - $5000 range yet. But in time, I'm sure I will upgrade again. Honestly though, this amp sounds incredible, and for the price it's hard to beat. I did roll the tubes and spent another $450 to upgrade from the stock tubes, which made it even better. It doesn't have all the features yours has, so that is a drawback maybe for some. This is my first full tube amp, and I don't think I'll ever go back to solid state. There could be a Galion in the future, who knows?
Thanks Neil! I've been thoroughly enjoying it, and the more I tweak speaker placement the more alive and 3D it sounds. The Willsenton gets excellent reviews. I considered that one as well. With the new tubes I bet the sound is incredible. It's definitely a respected amp and it's sound has been touted as being exceptional in many reviews I've watched (I watch too many reviews!!). I'm with you - there's something about tubes that grabs me. Solid state is great but I prefer tubes.
If you bought the R300, you made a good choice. In fact, instead of thinking about upgrading your tube amp in the future, you should think about finding a speaker to best match that amp instead.....maybe the upcoming Galion horn speaker?????🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@ThomasAndStereo I'm very intrigued now @ThomasAndStereo. My next upgrade will be speakers. As always, it takes me a while to pull the trigger (research, listening, and trust in the product and manufacturer etc.). It's how I landed on Galion :)
@@ThomasAndStereo thanks for the kind words Thomas, I love your reviews! When I decided to dip my toe into tubes, I wanted to keep the cost down as much as I could so my wife wouldn't have me committed. Lol! But ad an audiophile, I know I'm not going to stand pat. And thanks for the advice about speakers. I currently have Zu Audio DWs. Which sounded great before the tube amp. Now they sound even better.
@@neilfisher7999 Ah, Zu are easy to drive so you have a good match there. If you want to upgrade anything, it would be to add a subwoofer to your system. The R300 bass is crazy strong for a 8w 300b tube amp.
Thanks for reviewing Thomas' Galion. The amp seems to be getting quite a following and as well, very positive reviews. From what I am learning, this amp could be just what I am looking for but... I do wonder how this amp would sound at lower volumes. Now I understand that high efficiency speakers (Zoo?) may may be a good pairing? Yes, that is my question. Any suggestions from your followers would be most appreciated. Again, thank you and of course, thank you Thomas.
I will say that my listening room isn’t large and I don’t get much higher than 75db (I measured it). Depending on the music I might even go a little lower if my wife is in the room with me (she usually is) and it’s something she doesn’t love. It performs amazingly well.
I hope to see this at the upcoming Audiofest in October in Toronto 👍👍 That being said ..a phono board with mm/mc compatibility would be a damn nice touch😉 Great video 👍☕️🔥🥓🍕
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords Nice. I'm using the Klipsch R-41M speakers for my small system in the office. I'm using a Sony STR-DH540 receiver, a 40 year old Technics SL-Q300 turntable that I refurbished with a Pyle PP555 phono preamp. It sounds great.
Hi Richard! Prima Luna was a frontrunner until I learned of the Galion TS120 and it's features. What tipped the scale for me was the way the Galion handles tube biasing - completely out of the signal path (which to be fair the Prima Luna's passive auto-biasing solution is also said to not interfere with the signal path), as well as the Galion's ability to switch between class A & AB. I was looking for Class A. The turntable is a customized Thorens TD 160 Super with an Ortofon Bronze cart connected to a Pro-Ject Tube S2 phono preamp.
Very impressive Rick and thanks for making me wish I had one! Don't apologize if you feel the need to use a bit of tone control, it's your ears, so make them happy. How long do you think it takes a new preamp to break in? I'm still in the hunt for one 🙄
Thanks Calvin! Those darn tone controls 😂. It depends on the preamp actually. I think my Pro-Ject took about 20 hours but that’s really a guess. Solid state I would say is shorter.
If you listen mostly to acustic classic and jazz, which tube should you prefer - KT88 or 6550? Which one last longest? Have heard not so good things about KT120 because it do not last? what is right and wrong?
Terrific review! Thanks for sharing your experience with this amp. One aspect of most tube integrated amps that I find lacking is the ability to adjust the volume in fine gradations from the remote. What is your experience of this with the Galion?
Hi! Thank you for the kind feedback. To be honest I don’t have an issue with the remote and volume. This could be all in my head but I’ve found that if I tap the volume control quickly one way or the other the result is what I’d expect. It seems sensitive to touch. A normal tap will result is a larger adjustment. It could be my laziness seeking justification however. Getting up and turning the volume know manually would probably be preferable for minute changes. Again - thank you for checking the review out. I purchased the Galion based on what I knew from watching Thomas’ videos for a long time. I wasn’t disappointed, had been looking for a tube amp I’d be happy with for a long time, and had to put this out there for others.
That's very helpful - thanks. From what I can tell I think I would like the standard edition better that the SE. Enjoyed your review of the KLH Model 5 as well. I think this amp would match very well with it's soon to be released big brother, the Model 7, which I think I will be buying.@@TheJoyofVinylRecords
Good review. One constructive comment. "The Speakers" "My Speakers" What speakers? You never told us what you have. Probably important when evaluating an amplifier for your audience to know.
Thank you for that. Always open to feedback and you’re right. For posterity - it’s driving Klipsch 600m IIs. Upgrading soon but incredible sound just the same.
@@kostas9826 I wouldn’t worry too much about that. It might highlight the nuances in a sub-par pressing but it certainly enhances the soundstage of good ones.
![ทุกครั้งที่หลับตา (Lucid Dream) - AYLA's [ Official MV ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4i1OBAQyv58/mqdefault.jpg)
Thank you Rick for this review. I am so happy that you are enjoying this amp and thank you for your support.
You're welcome! And thank you for a wonderful product :)
Lol i said 300hrs long ago Espically with Golden lion - Great Job with your impressions
The Capacitors need break in as well they reshape and reform from heat/cool off '
Galion always delivers. So many tube amps to choose from. What’s in the box vs affordability is always a concern. Circuitry is on point. No corners cut. Nothing lacking in this build as far as bottlenecks in flow.
This is a sound build!
I've been impressed with everything put out by Galion so far.
Not being in the market for a vacuum tube amp but curious as always I’ve seen every tube amp video on TH-cam and have to say that your decision to procure this amp was 100% on point. Congrats and well done! Easily the right choice. She’s a looker!!!
I really appreciate the feedback! Thank you.
I've had the Galion TS120SE for about 3 weeks now and it's just getting better and better. At the moment listening to Class A with B tone control and the bass & soundstage is spectacular. I felt Kate Bush was in the room with me too! A fantastic amp.
That's great to hear @pjono77! I have noticed an improvement as it "burns in". I've also noticed better bass response after it's been on for more than a couple of hours.
I love tube amps, too -- as much for the way they look as for how they sound. Of course, those who say they don't like tone controls because they want to "hear the music the way it was meant to be heard" are either being willfully naive or disingenuous. Every amp, every pre-amp, every tube (and kind of tube -- KT-88, EL34, 300B...), every cartridge, every stylus, every player, every DAC, every recording, every pressing, every playback format, every streaming file format, every speaker, every speaker position, every room and room treatment -- some say every interconnect cable or length of speaker wire... has its own sound. Nobody knows what the music is going to sound like to you, sitting or standing in a particular position in your room, at a particular point in time (have you just come home? have you been listening for hours? what's the weather like? what kind of mood are you in?). Your own set-up, your brain, and all your senses determine what music sounds like at any given moment. Everything else is relatively minor compared to that...
I have to say I've come around to the use of tone controls - and for all of the reasons you mentioned. I even have a video produced about it that I plan to publish soon. It was great to read your response - my head was nodding the entire time.
Thank you. Hopefully Thomas can help get more reviews out there on the Standard Edition. It seems like most TH-cam reviews are on the Special Edition.
Someday I hope to be able to compare the too. The Standard Edition has improved the sound I’ve been able to achieve exponentially.
Great review. Neil’s drum work is most impressive. Sounds like you have found the sound that you really like. Happy for you.
I’ve always appreciated Neil and the band. It wasn’t until I was older that I began to really get what made them great. They are on a fairly consistent rotation these days.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords I’m a huge Rush fan and a drummer. Not to mention an audiophile. Great channel.
THANKS RICK 🤗 FOR GIVING THE GALION 120 an HONEST OBJECTIVE REVIEW 👍
THOMAS HAS WORKED 😅 SO HARD TO BRING IT TO MARKET AND WITH ALL THE OPTIONS AND YOUR SHARING YOUR THOUGHTS 💭 AND WITH YOUR EXPERIENCE…IS A GREAT SERVICE TO ALL THE OLD SCHOOL AUDIOPHILES …THAT THEY CAN HAVE THEIR CAKE 🍰 AND EAT IT TOO 😋💚💚💚
Thank you for the feedback! I really appreciate it. It was a pleasure to share my experience with the Galion.
Thanks for sharing your experience.👍
I've wondered about that thing. I don't even have a turntable these days, but still always love your videos!
Thanks Chris!
Glad to hear that you made a good purchase. It should be fully broken in by now.
Enjoy!
Absolutely magical when a system comes together. Thanks for sharing. I wonder how tight the bass is.
The bass is controlled and definitely present. A subwoofer would help but that's not a shortcoming of the amp. My next upgrade will be speakers - the search is on!
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords Zu Audio is an obvious candidate for tubes. Check it out.
She's a Looker. Thx for sharing
Thanks for watching!
Excellent review. If you’re in the Boston area, it would be great to meet some time, if you’d be interested. Enjoy your Galion!
Would enjoy that! Born in Stoughton and lived outside of Brockton. Now in NH :)
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords NH here too. I figure when it's time to buy the economical U-Turn, I'll take a little ride down to Woburn & pick one out at the factory. 🔈🔉🔊
@@TriAmpHiFi I have one of the custom orbits that I purchased a couple years ago. They have a new model with some enhanced features (like the groove in the platter for the belt - finally!). You won't be disappointed with it or any of their models.
Thanks for the full review of the Galion. I was also considering this amp along with Primaluna. I settled on a Willsenton R300, 300B tube amp. Primarily because of it being a 300B, plus lower cost. I'm not quite ready to get to the $3550 - $5000 range yet. But in time, I'm sure I will upgrade again. Honestly though, this amp sounds incredible, and for the price it's hard to beat. I did roll the tubes and spent another $450 to upgrade from the stock tubes, which made it even better. It doesn't have all the features yours has, so that is a drawback maybe for some. This is my first full tube amp, and I don't think I'll ever go back to solid state. There could be a Galion in the future, who knows?
Thanks Neil! I've been thoroughly enjoying it, and the more I tweak speaker placement the more alive and 3D it sounds.
The Willsenton gets excellent reviews. I considered that one as well. With the new tubes I bet the sound is incredible. It's definitely a respected amp and it's sound has been touted as being exceptional in many reviews I've watched (I watch too many reviews!!).
I'm with you - there's something about tubes that grabs me. Solid state is great but I prefer tubes.
If you bought the R300, you made a good choice. In fact, instead of thinking about upgrading your tube amp in the future, you should think about finding a speaker to best match that amp instead.....maybe the upcoming Galion horn speaker?????🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@ThomasAndStereo I'm very intrigued now @ThomasAndStereo. My next upgrade will be speakers. As always, it takes me a while to pull the trigger (research, listening, and trust in the product and manufacturer etc.). It's how I landed on Galion :)
@@ThomasAndStereo thanks for the kind words Thomas, I love your reviews! When I decided to dip my toe into tubes, I wanted to keep the cost down as much as I could so my wife wouldn't have me committed. Lol! But ad an audiophile, I know I'm not going to stand pat. And thanks for the advice about speakers. I currently have Zu Audio DWs. Which sounded great before the tube amp. Now they sound even better.
@@neilfisher7999 Ah, Zu are easy to drive so you have a good match there. If you want to upgrade anything, it would be to add a subwoofer to your system. The R300 bass is crazy strong for a 8w 300b tube amp.
Thanks for reviewing Thomas' Galion. The amp seems to be getting quite a following and as well,
very positive reviews. From what I am learning, this amp could be just what I am looking for but...
I do wonder how this amp would sound at lower volumes. Now I understand that high efficiency
speakers (Zoo?) may may be a good pairing? Yes, that is my question. Any suggestions from your
followers would be most appreciated. Again, thank you and of course, thank you Thomas.
I will say that my listening room isn’t large and I don’t get much higher than 75db (I measured it). Depending on the music I might even go a little lower if my wife is in the room with me (she usually is) and it’s something she doesn’t love. It performs amazingly well.
I hope to see this at the upcoming Audiofest in October in Toronto 👍👍
That being said ..a phono board with mm/mc compatibility would be a damn nice touch😉
Great video 👍☕️🔥🥓🍕
I have a review coming soon about a new addition that you just touched on. :)
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords AWESOME!
Great video. Even though I'm not an amplifier person, I prefer stereo receivers, I did learn a lot. I'm curious what speakers you have.
Hi! Currently running Klipsch 600M II speakers on stands.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords Nice. I'm using the Klipsch R-41M speakers for my small system in the office. I'm using a Sony STR-DH540 receiver, a 40 year old Technics SL-Q300 turntable that I refurbished with a Pyle PP555 phono preamp. It sounds great.
Cool review! :)
Thank you!
Great Review! Did you consider the Prima Luna Evo 400? If so, why did you pick the Galion?
Also, what turntable and phono preamp do you use?
Hi Richard! Prima Luna was a frontrunner until I learned of the Galion TS120 and it's features. What tipped the scale for me was the way the Galion handles tube biasing - completely out of the signal path (which to be fair the Prima Luna's passive auto-biasing solution is also said to not interfere with the signal path), as well as the Galion's ability to switch between class A & AB. I was looking for Class A.
The turntable is a customized Thorens TD 160 Super with an Ortofon Bronze cart connected to a Pro-Ject Tube S2 phono preamp.
Very impressive Rick and thanks for making me wish I had one! Don't apologize if you feel the need to use a bit of tone control, it's your ears, so make them happy. How long do you think it takes a new preamp to break in? I'm still in the hunt for one 🙄
Thanks Calvin! Those darn tone controls 😂. It depends on the preamp actually. I think my Pro-Ject took about 20 hours but that’s really a guess. Solid state I would say is shorter.
If you listen mostly to acustic classic and jazz, which tube should you prefer - KT88 or 6550? Which one last longest? Have heard not so good things about KT120 because it do not last? what is right and wrong?
Hi!! No right and wrong but yes, have heard similar things about KT120. I prefer KT88s and have with Jazz. You won’t be disappointed 😀
Terrific review! Thanks for sharing your experience with this amp. One aspect of most tube integrated amps that I find lacking is the ability to adjust the volume in fine gradations from the remote. What is your experience of this with the Galion?
Hi! Thank you for the kind feedback. To be honest I don’t have an issue with the remote and volume. This could be all in my head but I’ve found that if I tap the volume control quickly one way or the other the result is what I’d expect. It seems sensitive to touch. A normal tap will result is a larger adjustment. It could be my laziness seeking justification however. Getting up and turning the volume know manually would probably be preferable for minute changes.
Again - thank you for checking the review out. I purchased the Galion based on what I knew from watching Thomas’ videos for a long time. I wasn’t disappointed, had been looking for a tube amp I’d be happy with for a long time, and had to put this out there for others.
That's very helpful - thanks. From what I can tell I think I would like the standard edition better that the SE. Enjoyed your review of the KLH Model 5 as well. I think this amp would match very well with it's soon to be released big brother, the Model 7, which I think I will be buying.@@TheJoyofVinylRecords
If you do go with the Model 7 let me know what you think! @@CS-bz9lk
Good natural review.
Good review. One constructive comment. "The Speakers" "My Speakers" What speakers? You never told us what you have. Probably important when evaluating an amplifier for your audience to know.
Thank you for that. Always open to feedback and you’re right. For posterity - it’s driving Klipsch 600m IIs. Upgrading soon but incredible sound just the same.
Rick what phono preamp did you use?
@@davidresch7830 Hi David! The phono stage I’m currently using is the Pro-Ject Tube S2 with a pair of NOS Mullard tubes.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords thanks
How about that beauty right behind you? Is it custom made?
Yes it is - sort of! Very observant. It's a customized Thorens TD 160 Super :)
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords Nice one! What cartridge do you use?
@@kostas9826 An Ortofon Bronze right now. Plan to test out the black next year.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords I want to upgarde to a Bronze from my Blue one but I've read it's not so forgiving on non perfectly pressed/mastered records...
@@kostas9826 I wouldn’t worry too much about that. It might highlight the nuances in a sub-par pressing but it certainly enhances the soundstage of good ones.
For the price of a used car it better make a noticeable improvement, sheesh
Never again will I own any audio equipment that is Made In China. Sorry, but not sorry!!