"Why is it that, when I read one of your posts, I feel more stupid than usual. :) You are one of the more thoughtful and knowledgable guys on this site. And you do speak from personal experience. There is no subsitute for that."
Well I try to be thoughtful but so far as knowledgable, I'm not too sure about that! There are many MUCH more experienced folks than I am concerning audio knowledge. What I AM confident in and what we all should aspire to is learning to trust what we hear. That takes time and experience to develop. Critical listening is not always easy, it is a process but is necessary to develop hearing acuity and discerning differences. The more you practice it the more you develop it and can trust it. I see it more as a learned discipline than an innate ability though some are better at it than others.
Telling the differences between tubes in a given circuit in many cases is quite easy. I'm sure I could readily identify all the 6sn7 line stage tubes I have on hand in my preamp because I am so familiar with their given characteristics from listening over the years. The differences between some are not at all subtle, some are closer. Some of the other tubes in the circuit, the regulators and rectifier are not as easy to identify as to the brand but the effect that each makes to the presentation is different and not at all difficult to hear. Soundstage can be greatly affected by the tube used. I have one particular 6sn7 tube that seemingly expands the soundstage at the expense of image location and focus, a clear distortion to my ears, some rave about it, huh? To each his own but for sure I know it is not a good tube and I would never recommend it. The best tubes increase performance in all parameters without altering the sound. Tubes can be about flavoring but that is not what I'm after, been down that road. A really well balanced tube circuit with the right compliment of tubes can be a revelation and doesn't lose out to ss in any area and can make the music come alive. You need to hear one Rok2id, you might be surprised how far they've come from what you might expect.
Well I try to be thoughtful but so far as knowledgable, I'm not too sure about that! There are many MUCH more experienced folks than I am concerning audio knowledge. What I AM confident in and what we all should aspire to is learning to trust what we hear. That takes time and experience to develop. Critical listening is not always easy, it is a process but is necessary to develop hearing acuity and discerning differences. The more you practice it the more you develop it and can trust it. I see it more as a learned discipline than an innate ability though some are better at it than others.
Telling the differences between tubes in a given circuit in many cases is quite easy. I'm sure I could readily identify all the 6sn7 line stage tubes I have on hand in my preamp because I am so familiar with their given characteristics from listening over the years. The differences between some are not at all subtle, some are closer. Some of the other tubes in the circuit, the regulators and rectifier are not as easy to identify as to the brand but the effect that each makes to the presentation is different and not at all difficult to hear. Soundstage can be greatly affected by the tube used. I have one particular 6sn7 tube that seemingly expands the soundstage at the expense of image location and focus, a clear distortion to my ears, some rave about it, huh? To each his own but for sure I know it is not a good tube and I would never recommend it. The best tubes increase performance in all parameters without altering the sound. Tubes can be about flavoring but that is not what I'm after, been down that road. A really well balanced tube circuit with the right compliment of tubes can be a revelation and doesn't lose out to ss in any area and can make the music come alive. You need to hear one Rok2id, you might be surprised how far they've come from what you might expect.