2. analog
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tubes and analog

I just "upgraded" from a Mac SS integrated to a Prima luna dialogue 2 tube amp. The reason that I changed amps was that i assumed that the tube amp would be a better match for my Zu Druid speakers. The amp change was a big improvment for listening through my CDP....but not so when listening to my Rega P9. I had to switch to my spare SS phono stage (Graham slee) to get it to sound right. I was using a tube phono (AES) with my Mac. In Short, my tube amp with SS phono stage is not really an upgrade from my Mac with Tube phono stage. My question is.....should i consider a further upgrade to a better tube phono pre or is it simply that a change from SS to Tube amp is more "pronounced" in digital playback?
csmithbarc
sbank's avatar
sbank
3,381 posts
 
Yes, Mab33 and Carlbecker, I think you guys have summed it up nicely. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect a used pair of well-cared for amps, carefully packed, sold to me w/extra driver tubes, etc. would come to me loaded with the wrong valued fuses.
Docsavage, I think you are being a bit harsh on Raul, as he drew a reasonable conclusion from what he witnessed. If Ralph hadn't later mentioned to me the idea of confirming fuse value, I might not have caught it for a while.
I apologize to the original poster for contributing to driving this thread further off track! Cheers,
Spencer
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,960 posts
 
Got that right!
lewm
13,321 posts
 
I agree that Raul's integrity should not be held in question based on this misinterpretation or misunderstanding or whatever it was.
jmaldonado
57 posts
 
Raul is as honest as a person can get. This doesn't necessarily mean that he always speaks using rosy words. He just described what he saw from his own perspective, as we have witnessed blown tubes in the middle of a presentation more than once. As Sbank said, one can't draw conclusions about a component's reliability if the design is not in its original form (fuses in this case).

Regards
hedgehog's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
hedgehog
185 posts
 
While it isn't clear as to whether or not Raul knew or was made aware that the Atma gear was pre-owned, calling the attempted listening session an "audition" certainly was a bit inaccurate. When I think of an audition, listening to a dealer's properly setup/functioning equipment comes to mind.

It sounds like having Ralph go through those "repaired" and/or altered amps would be a good idea as well!
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