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Tube Preamp with Solid State Amp?

Greetings!

I’ve seen some folks using Tube Preamps with Solid State Am ps. I’m thinking of doing that with my system as part of an incremental change. I currently have a Parasound P5 preamp with a Parasound A21 driving Klipsch Cornwall 4’s. Will a decent / good Tube Preamp really make a difference in my sound? I enjoy what I have now but really want to experience Tubes in my system. Thanks!
bigjohn9095
jkf011
297 posts
 
Been doing it for 20yrs since I bought a lightly used CJ PV10AR in '04. First with one NAD 214, then in '13 with two. Then in '18 I replaced my old Klipsch RF-35s with Maggie 1.7is  and one of the NADs failed so I replaced both with a Emotiva XPA-2 Gen 3. Then in '19 I added a couple Emotiva 10" subs. Very very fast, open highs, smooth mid and BIG punchy bass. A tube amp would just be too expensive for me. 
oldhvymec
5,101 posts
 
Tube Preamp and SS power amps. Really the best of both worlds.

A tube preamp, Tube and SS power amps for Bi amping even better.

A lower wattage tube power amp, for the mids and tweets, and 
class ds, AB (crown) (something quiet but powerful) power amp for the bass sections. They can be bi amped? if not easy to fix that too..

You'll be shi%#ng in tall cotton ( southern term)

All pretty inexpensive, but you can start with the Pre,,, then a little valve amp later those Cornwalls  will love you for it. TOP notch sound..

Choose a good Preamp...... Tone control with horns....... Macs and horns are made for each other... If someone tells you otherwise about TC... Use your own good judgment, and what your running.

Happy hunting..

Regards

fuzztone's avatar
fuzztone
5,638 posts
 
Yes.
mitch4t's avatar
mitch4t
1,611 posts
 
I've run a tube preamp with solid state amps for 15 years.  I have to have tubes somewhere in my system.
bassdude
503 posts
 
Don’t know about the AR Ref 2 with Pass amps, but I’m pairing the AR Ref 3 and AR Ref 5SE with Parasound Halo A21 and JC2 monoblocks with incredible results - hard to believe. Just incredible clarity, detail, resolution, imaging and soundstage with superb tone, tenor, texture and bass control - a very holographic, live sound.

I’ve been surprised by this combination - though, I suppose some of the credit must go to the Bryston BDP-3 & Schitt Yggdrasil DAC, which sound superb, even without the AR tube line stage - but, the tube line stage improved upon that combo even a great deal more. And... with either the Harbeth 30.1’s with Townshend Super-Tweeters, or Linkwitz Orion’s - to the point, that I doubt I could improve upon the sound a lot more. I’ve also been surprised that this combo has really awakened the 30.1’s, which initially hadn’t impressed me, but now have much better highs, resolution, and bass control with the Harbeth rich, organic sound.

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