2. cables
  3. 1351820105

tube gear vs solid state...cable effectiveness

hi all,

i have a question and im not looking for a debate whether cables make a difference with sound or not. i use semi-high end ($3k and below) cables on my solid state gear (pre,cd,amp,etc.) with exellent results.

i was told by someone who builds tube gear that cables make more of a difference on solid state and are not as effective on tube gear.

i have no experience with tubes but have been thinking of getting into them, and therefore wondering if i should sell some cables off to help fund new tube gear.

your thoughts. thanks in advance.
nineballg
lak's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
lak
4,695 posts
 
I have owned and still own many SS and Tube amps, preamps and CDP's.
In my opinion cables DO make a difference in SS and Tube equipment. I would suggest keeping what you have and reach your own conclusions. Worse scenario, you could sell cables at a later time.
rar1's avatar
rar1
1,803 posts
 
I have found that my tube systems sound different with different cables. My cables cost total per system are probably 1/10 the cost of what you are using, but still I find that copper sounds different than silver, a $150 interconnect sounds different than a $20 interconnect, etc. whether it is tubes or solid state.

Rich
mechans
3,048 posts
 
I agree with the other responses so far, I own primarily tube gear and find that cables are as meaningful as I imagine they could be, with any set up.
I must say that $3K is not "semi" high end thats a lot for a cable. I know there are some that sell for more but still my most expensive cable may be a $1K IC by Cardas, which I bought used for much less.
More to discover