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Tube or Trasistor

Hello friends
Hope you all had a good New Year!!
I live on the far south coast of Australia, the nearest hi fi shop, is a three hours drive!!, so can some one give me advice??, as I have found the sound on a lot of music to be a bit harsh, below is My gear!!
1. Once Analog TT, loaded with a loaded Denon/Zu 103 cartridge
2. JLTI phono stage, with power supply, (sold state), made in Switzerland by Allen wright
3. PS Audio, pre-amp with build in DAC
4.Pair of PS Tube Mono Blocks, these are highly regarderd, running KT 88's output tubes, made in Hong Kong, silver point to point wiring!!
5. Pair of Zu Soul MK 2 speakers
Friends, some modern recordings sound great, but as I have mint collection of music, some sound harsh!!
My last system, sounded great, in the bass region, but was lacking in the top end, just a bit!!
My last system was, below, please don't ask why I don't have it any more, very personal!!
1. Well tempered Labs Classic, with a Dyavector 17 D 3
2. A local made Tube pre amp, with phono stage, made by a person in Canberrra, I don't have his name!!, This system is approx 20 years old??
3. Bedini class A transistor amp, around 100wps
4. Shahinian Arc Speakers!!
Although i has been nearly twenty years, since the last time I heard this system, I don't remember, this system sounding "harsh"!!
The only thing I can think off, is the pre amp was" tubed", and the amp was solid state, now it is the otherway around, the phono stage, and pre amp are solid state!!, whilst the mono blocks, are tubed!!
Am I missing something here??, Before I change my system, with a cost I can't really afford, can some one give me advice?? Thanks in advance
David Spry
Australia


128x128daveyonthecoast
erik_squires
16,056 posts
 
Room acoustics can contribute to this a great deal. I'm going to give you a free experiment. It is not the final solution but try it and listen.

First, speaker placement and toe-in. Some speakers sound best with no toe-in at all, some direct to your ears, so experiment. Give them plenty of space to the sides.

Second, try throwing some soft absorbent materials around on the floor near your speakers. Blankets and pillows work find. Do not neglect the area behind and between the speakers.

Try this before going out to buy new gear.

Best,

E
rodman99999
6,131 posts
 
I’d like to have more info on the amps, as well. Input tubes(ie: phase splitter and driver) can make a major difference in your presentation. Especially, the thin, uninvolving presentation, that will result from tubes at the end of their lifespan. Then again: it may just be a matter of taste, and warmer tubes(ie: British), in those positions, might be your answer. Here’s someone knowledgeable in Australia, that I’ve dealt with, a few times(through ebay), that may be able to help, or just fun to contact: https://www.ebay.com/usr/angst46?_trksid=p2053788.m1543.l2754
reubent
6,985 posts
 
Davey,

Were your old Shahinians speakers omni-directional? If I recall correctly, those speakers did not have tweeters that were pointed directly at the listener, but pointed the tweeters off-axis to provide a more diffused type of sound. If that is correct, it is possible that you simply have a preference for a more diffused, less direct, type of sound. I believe the Zu speakers have a super-tweeter that is pointed directly forward, toward the listener, correct? If you play material that is already "hot" on the high-frequency end of the spectrum, it could just sound harsh to you on the Zu speakers relative to the Shahinian speakers you remember.

As Eric said, speaker placement and room treatment may help tame the harsh high-end if you choose to go that route.
trelja
3,223 posts
 
Presuming the system sits in the same room as the old one did, and that’s a HUGE if...  If the room is different, all bets are off. But playing along, two components jump out at me that would possibly lead to what you noticed in a big way:
1. Zu loudspeakers vs the Shahians
2. Once Analog TT with Denon cartridge vs the Well Tempered with Dynavector
whoopycat
168 posts
 
I did hear Sean Casey of Zu on a podcast the other day talk about how he hates the sound of KT88 tubes. Your amp might not be the best match for the Soul.

With that said, I agree with the poster above... try pointing your speakers straight out with no toe in.
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