2. amps-preamps
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Tubes vs SS preamp question....

Hi All,

I have a BAT SS power amp and a BAT P5 tube phono stage (Linn LP12/Graham/Clearaudio Concerto) and Martin Logan speakers (hoping to replace/upgrade soon). My question is regarding a preamp upgrade from a Krell Showcase PrePro.
Would you recommend a tube preamp to go alongside a tube phono amp?? Or is one tube component enough in a system?? I know there will be massive differences between all the different options, looking more for a general input as to whether multiple tube components work together or is just one component enough to get that tube sound and I might be better off focusing on SS for the preamp.
I really appreciate any feedback.
Thank you.

denjer1
denjer1 OP
45 posts
 
Thank you Tim. 
blindjim
3,092 posts
 


as was said, don’t worry about ‘too much of  a good thing”. 


Tube amps can be quite versatile in their voice, depending on which tubes are in use, or which tubes are available as ‘drop in’ replacements.


a BAT tube pre plus a BAT SS amp has been a great combo for a long time in BAT land.


one thing of note is running BAT pre and amp balanced is a very good idea. no question about it. extremely quiet back drop which aids gaining a more vivid presentation and imagery.


another built in item is the BAT ‘house’ sound. you do get the synergy which comes with keeping the same brand in the signal path.


adding another non BAT line stage but which runs truly balanced will act similarly of course. 


that said, adding  a  line stage which is far higher on the food chain which runs SE only  will still yield great results. or such is my own EXP.


remember, with many though not all line stage tube amps, you can either dial up the ‘tubeyness’ or dial it down via a bit of tube rolling.


with SS line stage amps you’re stuck with whatever ;’voice’ it offers, which BTW is not  a bad thing either.


good luck with your decision.


denjer1 OP
45 posts
 
Thank you Blindjim
markusthenaimnut's avatar
markusthenaimnut
371 posts
 
I'll be interested in following this thread, as I have a solid state preamp and am strongly considering replacing it with a tube preamp.

Having said that, I encourage you to seek out a white paper on tubes vs. solid state written by Roger Sanders. I learned a lot from it and am planning on holding on to my SS power amp. You might find it interesting as well.
denjer1 OP
45 posts
 
Thanks for the heads up. If you come across the link that you could post that would be fantastic. I'll take a look for it myself when I get some time. 
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