Lost My Mind......Getting Toobed!!

AudioFilet

For some bizarre reason, I have ordered a custom new tube preamp from tubes4hifi.com, the SP12. Got it with all available options & upgrades, plus a set of Roy's best tubes and the PH12 phono preamp built into it. It's not cheap, so I am hoping that this is not a major screw-up, since I know very little about tube equipment & have never dealt with these guys before. What little I have heard about them has been positive, and they are easy to deal with. If any of you guys have had any experience dealing with them, I would like to hear what you think about it all.

http://www.tubes4hifi.com/pre11.htm#SP12

Anyway, if I fall in love with the tube preamp and decide to go all tubes with an amp, I will have a mountain of SS gear lying around collecting dust. Most of it brand new. Brand new Emo USP-1, UPA-1 & XPA-2. I have a new Harman Kardon HK-990 that still has styrofoam stuck to it. There's more, too.

So........ have I gone nuts here or what??

The tube amp I am considering is the Tubes 4 HiFi ST120, and maybe beef it up with a set of KT90 or KT100 tubes. Anybody here have any experience with that amp or tried those tubes in place of the KT88's??

toucanet

You are not going nuts. I was in the same boat as you at this time last year.

I was at a CES conference and heard the Rogue Audio tube gear and had to have it.

I had to have it to the point that I purchased all of the gear new. Although I spent way more money that I had budgeted, I do not regret it one bit. My budget was originally roughly $4,000.00. I think that I may have paid that much in taxes and shipping on my new addiction.

I currently use the KT90 tubes in my Rogue Audio Apollo monoblocks and am satisfied. The KT100 tubes really did not make that much of a difference in the overall sound (in my home setting) to justify keeping them in my gear.

Welcome to the tube club. I can only speak about my personal experiences and will always have tube gear moving forward.

Enjoy your journey down the rabbit hole!

cnh

If you don't have a 'wife', you're OK!

That HK has only been out for, what, a half-year or less? Just curious as to what you thought of it. I have the companion CDP, the HD-990. Which is OK in its price range. Can definitely run with slightly more expensive Cambridge Audio players. Also not bad as a cheaper upconverting DAC unit for digital sources.

cnh

steveinaz

Good for you, enjoy!

thuffman03

Congrats on the new pre!

AudioFilet

cnh wrote: »

That HK has only been out for, what, a half-year or less? Just curious as to what you thought of it. I have the companion CDP, the HD-990. Which is OK in its price range. Can definitely run with slightly more expensive Cambridge Audio players. Also not bad as a cheaper upconverting DAC unit for digital sources.
cnh

I really like the HK. Mine is nowhere near burned in yet because I work offshore & have been overseas for most of the last 3 months, but it sounds great right out of the box. It has bass management very similar to what you find on a home theater receiver, complete with microphone and all. I haven't had time to fool with it yet, but it sounds great the way it is.

Didn't try the CDP because no SACD.

organ

You're going to get your tube cherry popped. Congrats. Let us know what you think of the sound when it's done. Welcome to the wonderful world of tubes. If you decide to go all tubes, you can sell the SS and use the money earned for an amp.
But I must want you, your LSi9 are not tube friendly unless you go with some mega tube watts. I can't get my 9's to sing on tubes but the highest tube power I tried on them was 35w/ch.
When it comes to tube amps, most of the time, your speakers will determine what type of amp you need.

outlander

Welcome to the world of tubes, you're in for treat. If you end up looking for a tube amp don?t overlook an EL-34 based amp. To me EL-34?s are nice rich tubes with lots of mid-range magic.
Have fun!
O

treitz3

Oh, how I enjoy the beginning of a tube love story.....

tonyb

treitz3 wrote: »

Oh, how I enjoy the beginning of a tube love story.....

Yep, the " now I get it " comment on the other thread was priceless.
Congrats to the OP, let us know how it sounds.

reeltrouble1

SS gear or gears (for Mega) make great boat anchors, guess its a sand thing.

RT1

PolkClyde

toucanet wrote: »

You are not going nuts. I was in the same boat as you at this time last year.

I was at a CES conference and heard the Rogue Audio tube gear and had to have it.

I had to have it to the point that I purchased all of the gear new. Although I spent way more money that I had budgeted, I do not regret it one bit. My budget was originally roughly $4,000.00. I think that I may have paid that much in taxes and shipping on my new addiction.

I currently use the KT90 tubes in my Rogue Audio Apollo monoblocks and am satisfied. The KT100 tubes really did not make that much of a difference in the overall sound (in my home setting) to justify keeping them in my gear.

Welcome to the tube club. I can only speak about my personal experiences and will always have tube gear moving forward.

Enjoy your journey down the rabbit hole!

Thank God(if you believe in God) that you had the money,good job, to be able to afford it.One day,I'm going to buy a $40,000 speaker system.

mhardy6647

They make nice night lights.

iskandam

Maybe the tube pre-amp with solid state emo amp combo will work for you. You get to have that tube flavor with enough power to drive your LSis.