Anyone has a reference system where amplification is SS ?

“transparent is not enough for a solid state amplifier, musically complete, grain less and flowing are the challenges. these are relative things. not absolutes.”

transparent is all of those things if those things are in the recording. Transparent means the output is audibly indistinguishable from the input other than the gain. If one wants some additional seasoning then euphonically colored amps are an option. But so are DSP simulators that do it better at a fraction of the cost with greater flexibility and the option to turn them off. 

Yes. With Jeff Rowland Model 12 Monoblocks. 

Mike, unless I missed it, you need a custom tube playback head outboard preamp for your Ampexes.

 

@inna

you missed it. :-)

done and done. both my Ampex ATR-102 decks have MR-70 Nuvistor tube preamps. both decks have direct out from the heads into the outboard preamps, one box per channel. the top pair for the 1/4" deck on the left, and the bottom pair for the 1/2" deck on the right. i have a switch behind to go back and forth. the decks and preamps are hot rodded. read the first post of the thread which describes the level of upgrades.

the MR 70 is a legendary late 60’s super deck. if you scroll down on this thread page you can read about it’s history.

here is the thread about it.

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/ak-hot-rodded-ampex-atr-102s-w-mr-70-preamps-replaces-my-studers.36288/

here is a current picture with both decks and the -4- MR 70 hot rodded preamps on a rack between them. the MR 70’s surpass any newer custom output electronics.

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/ak-hot-rodded-ampex-atr-102s-w-mr-70-preamps-replaces-my-studers.36288/page-6#post-874901

as great as my -3- Studer A-820’s were with the King Cello preamps, this set-up is in another realm.

transparent is all of those things if those things are in the recording. Transparent means the output is audibly indistinguishable from the input other than the gain. If one wants some additional seasoning then euphonically colored amps are an option. But so are DSP simulators that do it better at a fraction of the cost with greater flexibility and the option to turn them off.

@scottwheel

no, transparent is not enough.

i respect that unless you directly compare various solid state amps in a revealing system you might assume ’transparent’ is enough, and that transparent assumes other musical attributes. unfortunately that is not the case.

to illustrate my point here is a review of a very respected solid state amp, scroll to the bottom of the page and read the conclusion (final 3 or 4 paragraphs).

https://www.stereophile.com/content/boulder-amplifiers-2150-monoblock-power-amplifier-page-2

>>>"By comparison, my reference monoblocks, darTZeel’s NHB-458s, don’t grip quite as tightly as the Boulders, nor do they achieve the 2150s’ levels of transparency and solidity. What they deliver so well, especially for solid-state amps, is music’s liquidity and natural flow—due to their more generous sustain. You can’t have everything."<<<

when we look for alternatives to tube amplifiers, it’s not trivial to retain musicality and flow. these attributes come from simple elegant low parts count circuits, zero negative feedback, and amazing build quality. solid state but not strangling the music. these things are not absolutes, but there are solid state amps that are more or less musical while also being transparent. in my experience darTZeel is the most musical solid state.....in the context of this thread it’s the best tube alternative.

do you think Boulder 2160 owners think their amps are not musical? no, but have they compared them to a more musical alternative in their system?

just my 2 cents. YMMV.

“no, transparent is not enough.”

Then you want added colorations. A perfectly legitimate personal preference. I like them too. But I use DSP for that so the transparency remains an option. Once you color your playback with a colored amp it puts that stamp on everything you play. 

“ I respect that unless you directly compare various solid state amps in a revealing system you might assume ’transparent’ is enough, and that transparent assumes other musical attributes. unfortunately that is not the case.”

if the amp is transparent, which most modern SS amps are if they aren’t clipping then all of the musical attributes encoded in the audio signal will be passed through to the speakers. By definition that’s what transparent does. 

“to illustrate my point here is a review”

and that’s where you lose me. Subjective reviews from Stereophile or other similar publications laced with vague flowery language are of no real interest to me.