three-easy, Good for you that you had the intellectual honesty to pay attention. To complete the experiment, try re-inserting the new tubes after 2-3 weeks using the old set. See if your impressions remain the same.
Phono Preamp Tube Rush
Is there such a thing as a tube phono stage that doesn't have tube rush? Is it just an inherent weakness of that type of pre or is it some combination of cartridge gain and preamp gain? I went from a silent solid state ASR Basis Exclusive to a Herron VTPH-2A (new home with space limitations) and now I'm using a Hagerman Trumpet with my Decca London Super Gold. Both the Herron and Hagerman have tube rush. The Hagerman beats the Herron in my setup and it really sounds incredible but in quiet passages and between songs, there's that hiss at high-medium and high volume. It's just there. No combination of new tubes, new cables, etc changes this fact. Same with the Herron. Anyone having a different experience with a tube phono preamp?
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mulveling First impressions of tube or component changes can be especially nebulous - because anything that the new component sonically accentuates can easily evoke a new emotional response that we can’t help but latch onto. This can allow us to experience our favorite tracks in a different light, perhaps even noticing parts of the music we hadn’t before. However on extended listening - we may notice the accentuation is really unnatural. We may even go back to our old component and suddenly that "new part" of the music is actually still there, we just hadn’t listened for it before because it wasn’t actually supposed to stand out ...I agree completely, and that is exactly why I think equipment "shoot-outs" are virtually useless. A component’s true character is revealed over time. Trying to assess it quickly serves no purpose and the result is prone to error. |
Agree completely with the several posts above this one. I do find the science and psychology of my own perception interesting. @lewm Agreed, that being honest with ourselves is not always the easy path. I'd rather be happy than right. Open-mindedness and honesty takes one far in this hobby I'm finding - or in life for that matter. |
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