2. amps-preamps
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Tube Equipment: Gimmick?

I recently had a mechanical engineer (who has no interest in audio equipment or the industry) express amazement when I told him about the high prices of tube gear. His amazement, he said, stemmed from the fact that tubes are antiquated gear, incapable of separating signals the way (what we call "solid state") equipment can.

In essence, he said tubes could never be as accurate as SS gear, even at the height of the technology's maturity. This seems substantiated by the high-dollar tube gear I've heard - many of the things that many here love so much about the "tube sound" are wonderful - but to my ears, not true to the recording, being either too "bloomy" in the vocal range or too "saturated" throughout, if that makes any sense.

I have limited experience with tubes, so my questions are: what is the attraction of tubes, and when we talk about SS gear, do we hit a point where the equipment is so resolving that it makes listening to music no fun? Hmmm..or maybe being *too* accurate is the reason folks turn from SS to tubes?

Thanks in advance for the thoughts!
aggielaw
jim2
165 posts
 
Some people just don't get it. And that is okay by me.

It is one thing to try and offer advice to someone who lacks perspective in an attempt to help them.

It is quite another to offer advice to someone who lacks perspective yet thinks they know it all.

Bazaar perspectives have a place in society, as does outright ignorance. Sometimes they are one in the same.
newbee
4,767 posts
 
In retrospect, this thread might be considered the perfect troll! Time to take the old F3 on a stroll. :-)
macrojack
1,303 posts
 
I have an old Nikon FM2N and a new Olympus C5000 Zoom and I can't use either one very well.
Gumbei pretty well brought the fox to ground with his final few words. Look beyond the hair. You'll find no argument there.
kt_88
242 posts
 
>

I here this talk all the time. And an even better one I hear is " We're not running a mom and pop store here "

In fact I got so sick of hearing these ignorant statements from unqualified individuals. I finally wagered with a guy at a local Circuit City store. I brought him over to my house and let him hear my system. I don't think I have ever seen anyone sit my their mouth held wide open for such a long time.

Take this unqualified gent to a high-end audio dealer. Sit him in front a good tube system, and watch him eat crow!
tbg
5,263 posts
 
I presently am listening to the H-Cat P12, a ss piece. While I also have a ss sacd player, the Wright/Sony 9000, I also have a tube analog stage sacd player, the Exemplar/Denon 2900. Until very recently I had only tube gear. While I cannot understand anyone preferring Krell gear rather than the better tube gear, everything hinges on what a piece sounds like. I do think it takes something exceptional for ss to better tubes.
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