2. amps-preamps
  3. 1232496177

Did you ever take a step back

and put in perhaps an old component or cable in your system and go WOW...my CJ premier 14 preamp blew the left channel the other day so I brought in a sub - my old pv10 and I must say it has been quite enjoyable. As I have upgraded everything around it since it was in service, plopping it back in has been really cool! That rounded warm textured groovy tube sound is back (OK colored). I can hear into guitar amps that sound tubed and sweet themselves, acoustic guitar floats around sweetly, man. I have been missing that texture and didn't know it.

I think for me at least I have been in search of the holy linear grail to try and bring as much realism into the room as possible and lost some of the musicality of my system. The PV10 in the system with some fairly revealing components around it has brought some real enjoyment. Now for some tube rolling, awe there I go again!
pops
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markphd
667 posts
 
If you like music, it doesn't matter what you listen to it with.
eweedhome
227 posts
 
Pops, I'm in complete agreement that the search for the linear holy grail can lead you straight into a point at which there are so few things you can listen to on your system (because so little source material can stand up to a mercilessly revealing approach) that you may as well just chuck it and start over. I went over to Holland 2004-2005 with only a modest Linn Klassic system. Virtually every CD I played on it sounded at least pretty good, if not quite pleasurable. When I came back to my Wadia, Vandersteens, Audioquest cable, etc., many of my favorite CDs in Holland were suddenly unlistenable. That led to a great quest for a detailed, yet forgiving sound in a system, and virtually nothing of the old system remains. Ironically, I'm now using a CJ Prem 14 with a modified Prem 11, and liking it quite well...though I see that you stepped back further from the Prem 14. For what it's worth, I didn't like the Prem 14 until I put Mullards in it. Then it sounded really nice.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,311 posts
 
Regardless of the pieces used or their cost, its not a step back if the music sounds better afterwards.

A cheaper system with good synergy overall can outperform a way more expensive one lacking synergy.
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