Thinking about trying a tube amp. Thoughts.
Comments
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Not too much! It came with a vintage Hytron upgrade when I purchased it. I went back to it after switching out the Chinese Psvanes to some 1951 Hytrons in the 6SN7 spots and haven’t looked back.
Brian
One-owner Polk Audio RTA 15TL speakers refreshed w/ Sonicap, Vishay/Mills and Cardas components by "pitdogg2," "xschop" billet tweeter plates and BH5 | Stereo REL Acoustics T/5x subwoofers w/ Bassline Blue cables | Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum III integrated tube amp | Technics SL-1210G turntable w/ Ortofon 2M Black LVB 250 MM cart | Teac VRDS-701T CD transport | LampizatOr Baltic 4 tube DAC | Nordost & DH Labs cables/interconnects | APC H15 Power Conditioner | GIK Acoustics room treatments | Degritter RCM -
Abbas should be in that list... One of the best sounding dacs I've heard regardless of price- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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So, I’ve had a few tube amps over the years….Conrad Johnson and Heathkit mostly. Tubes are expensive but, really, unless you are into rolling tubes…..a set of power tubes will last a long time. I had one bad tube….which was a Chinesium issue and replaced under warranty. Biasing is not difficult and not something that is a constant task……
So, why I don’t still use tube amps……I lucked into the MF gear and moved on from the Quads.
Bass, depending on amp/speaker may be a little softer, less tight that you are used to but I would have zero issues going back to tubes…..but, I am also not as persnickety about details as Tom is, which is not a criticism at all….but tube amps aren’t for everyoneI plan for the future. - F1Nut -
pearsall001 wrote: »Now I'm thinking maybe a tube DAC might be an option to change things up a bit with my 2 channel & leave the HT as is.
IMO, tube dacs in general add very little tube flavor. I have 2 of them and experience with others. Granted they are implemented more as a buffer than gain stages. Really, IMO opinion tube pre amps really are the best solution.
Also if you're not willing to go a little bit down the tube rabbit hole and only run stock tubes, don't bother. I'm not saying you have be like me and track down every known tube, but the most fun with tubes is experiencing some of the rolling options. Tubes can transform a system.
Again just my .02c
H9
"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Puritan Audio PSM136 Pwr Condtioner & Classic PC's | Legend L600 | Roon Nucleus 1 w/LPS - Tubes add soul! -
Phil is always wanting to try something different. I love it!
You know I'm going to say be sure and check out LampizatOr options. One of the top five changes I've made to my rig. Of course, it all started out by seeing what DACs could do with the Geshelli Labs J2 DAC I got from you!
How much rectifier rolling have you done with the Lampizator DAC?
In my tube travels the rectifier has a very heavy influence on sound. It's amazing to hear the difference between a modern tube rectifier vs. something from the 50-60's. I actually prefer a tube piece of gear that is also tube rectified.
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Puritan Audio PSM136 Pwr Condtioner & Classic PC's | Legend L600 | Roon Nucleus 1 w/LPS - Tubes add soul! -
pearsall001 wrote: »Now I'm thinking maybe a tube DAC might be an option to change things up a bit with my 2 channel & leave the HT as is.
IMO, tube dacs in general add very little tube flavor. I have 2 of them and experience with others. Granted they are implemented more as a buffer than gain stages. Really, IMO opinion tube pre amps really are the best solution.
Also if you're not willing to go a little bit down the tube rabbit hole and only run stock tubes, don't bother. I'm not saying you have be like me and track down every known tube, but the most fun with tubes is experiencing some of the rolling options. Tubes can transform a system.
Again just my .02c
H9
I'm going to amend this statement by saying if the entire output/input stage is designed around tubes then I'm sure the tubes will add something. My reference was to the tube dacs that use the tube more as a buffer.
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Puritan Audio PSM136 Pwr Condtioner & Classic PC's | Legend L600 | Roon Nucleus 1 w/LPS - Tubes add soul! -
Phil is always wanting to try something different. I love it!
You know I'm going to say be sure and check out LampizatOr options. One of the top five changes I've made to my rig. Of course, it all started out by seeing what DACs could do with the Geshelli Labs J2 DAC I got from you!
How much rectifier rolling have you done with the Lampizator DAC?
In my tube travels the rectifier has a very heavy influence on sound. It's amazing to hear the difference between a modern tube rectifier vs. something from the 50-60's. I actually prefer a tube piece of gear that is also tube rectified.
H9
A lot of measurement types will tell you the sound difference is due to voltage drop, but I run 3b22, or 866a tubes which have the same constant voltage drop of 15 volts no matter how much current and they sound different from each other. The 3b22 is bright and the 866a are warmer sounding. -
Decided to nix the idea of trying a tube amp but still wanted to get some tubes in the mix.
I really like the Parasound JC2 BP pre & A21+ amp combo and I also didn't want to part with the JC2 & replace it with a tube pre.
In steps the ModWright Analog Bridge. Placed between the source & pre for now & putting it thru it's paces.
I can switch between 6SN7 tubes & 6922 tubes on the fly by simply flipping a switch. A different presentation between the two for sure.
Next I'll try it between the pre & amp. A very flexible piece that just might fit the bill nicely. Time will tell.
"2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up. -
https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/650254921-antique-sound-labs-hurricane-dt-amplifiers/?utm_source=USAudioMart+list&utm_medium=email&utm_content=email+featured+ad&utm_campaign=email-featured-ad-click&utm_term=650254921
might want to look at these... never heard them but they look amazing.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2800 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
How many flies need to be buzzing a dead horse before you guys stop beating it? -
Man they look nice!! That's an awful lot of tubes to manage though. Plenty of power for sure. Thanks for the heads up but I'm staying with my SS amp."2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
