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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
oddiofyl's avatar
oddiofyl
3,921 posts
 
I have had a number of different amps and pres, both SS and tube, and I keep coming back to tubes....  my McCormack DNA 125 was a fantastic amp,  one of the few amps I regret selling.  

As long as your amps and preamps take common tubes, they will always be available thanks to musicians.   
vtvmtodvm
66 posts
 
oddiofyl---Don't depend on that! The medium income for full time professional musicians isn't a lot more than the medium household income for the U.S. population as a whole: About $59,500 annually. Distinguished full time members of civic symphony orchestras rarely earn salaries exceeding $100,000/year. Few musicians are rock stars, and few can pay the premium for tube equipment. Tube gear pricing is prohibitive for most consumers, and the replacement costs are endless. Tubes just "don't compute".
initforthemusic
282 posts
 
Hi davey,

While not familar with all your equipment. My suggestion would be to look at a good tubed Phono Stage. The JLTI equipment I've heard can be a little forward and harsh sounding. A good Tubed Pre. could also help. Also look at different Interconnects & Speaker Cables, helped tame some brightness in one of my set ups.

Good luck.
jond's avatar
jond
5,856 posts
 
The median income for musicians or anyone has nothing whatsoever to do with the continuing production of tubes. Sure it's a specialist market but demand continues to grow not decline. And tubes themselves, particularly current production tubes, are not especially expensive. And there is a wealth of affordable tubed gear out there as well as a robust secondhand market.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,849 posts
 
Tubes reflect their Neo-Victorian vintage (1904); they’re just not high precision parts. Why not? Well, to start, the tube manufacturers identify vacuum tube operating parameters only by listing “average” or “typical” characteristics.
That's funny! Obviously you've not tried to put together an amp from solid state devices or you would know they have quite a bit of variance too.

The point is that there are NOT many vacuum tube products now being manufactured.
Interesting fact: in the US, there are more manufacturers of tube-based audio products than there were in 1956....
Few musicians are rock stars, and few can pay the premium for tube equipment. Tube gear pricing is prohibitive for most consumers, and the replacement costs are endless.
 The above statement is false. The guitar amp market plays a huge role in the production of tubes worldwide. The ex-Vice prez of Fender is a personal friend...
cleeds---when I last attempted to determine the remaining manufacturers of (receiving type) vacuum tubes some 18 months ago, there were zero based in the USA. That's fact.
What is a fact is that you missed a few:
located in Nevada, RCH Labs.
(You may have also missed Korg, who has a new tube technology._
Western Electric is making tubes in Georgia. 
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