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Tube versus SS


Since I just installed some rather expensive NOS 6922 Telefunken tubes in my Phono-preamp, that yielded outstanding results, I decided to compare CD to Phono.

From the best of "Jacintha", CD, I selected "Danny Boy". Her voice emerged deep center stage from a jet black noise free back ground. It sounded more like what I expected from the analog.

That was followed by special LP's of Dinah Washington that had recently arrived. Those LP's were everything I expected with the NOS 6922 Telefunken Tubes in the Phono, but the surprise was the fact that I couldn't tell the two apart; both were outstanding.

What may surprise you, is the fact that I attribute these outstanding results from the COVID 19 "lock-down" which has given us the quietest "grid" ever in history. That means those of us with lesser means have the same AC power as the richest who can afford expensive AC power "clean uppers".

BTW, I have made extensive comparisons to recordings made before and after, the lock-down that confirm just how much of a difference it's made. I must admit that I had doubts about expensive power conditioners, but this confirms that fantastic results come from taming the wild AC.

It's my belief that we can not achieve better results than we have from the current "quiet grid", which means power conditioner or no power conditioner, we are all presently getting the same results.

Could it be that the dominant factor when comparing tube and SS when they both are of comparable quality is "The quality of the AC"?
   
orpheus10
cousinbillyl
190 posts
 
Years ago I built my speakers. They use the Accuton diamond tweeters, along with the Accuton C50 2" midrange. To say these speakers are revealing is an understatement.

There was 'something' I couldn't get rid of. Countless hours adjusting Azimuth, VTA, VTF etc. Massive money spent on different capacitors, wire, inductors. Still 'it' was there.

Then it started; 1st came the Balanced Power Technology (BPT) toroidal based conditioner. Beautiful. Let's say 50% of 'it' was gone. Next came a fluke. I had a pair of Plitron 1500V toroids in house. Looking over the schematics, I came to a realization: they can be wired for 'balanced' output. Common mode rejection is now my gospel. Fabulous. Final piece; Torus Power Conditioner is now at the front end.

What am I trying to say? Balanced power to your components is mandatory.

You do not lose dynamics. You lose noise. Some people perceive the loss as dynamics. Don't believe them. 
Post removed 
dinov's avatar
dinov
836 posts
 
I thought this was about tube bs ss 
petg60
1,486 posts
 
HI,
It never is, both titles missed but stratospheric discussions are more catchy and have enough posts with accompanied insults. If somebody hears something different then it is. Authorative is how to present and explain it even if desired to reject it. We all understand how "wild Ac" can negatively influence the reproduction but taming it and sharing with others is more productive. 

orpheus10 OP
8,668 posts
 

Kennyc, no need to apologize when you're right. I have been in a "lock-down" inner sanctum communicating only with self for so long, that initially I failed to communicate effectively with others.

Tube versus SS is a wrong statement, should have been versus digital, and I have been comparing many different things in my head, that I didn't communicate effectively, but now I will straighten out as much as I can, and that wont be easy.

Years ago when there was much controversy about PC playback, I took everything in that the PC guys had to say, as well as what "Stereophile" had to say about changing cards in your computer, and what equipment to use for "down-loading" effectively. Now I "down-load" and then listen. My playback is identical to whatever it is that I "down-loaded"; if it wasn't, I wouldn't do it this way.

Start with my comparison to Jacintha on CD and Dinah on new fantastic LP's (dead quiet LP, the best ever for me) This is from a new 5 LP collection from "Verve". I noted that the CD had many of the same sonic attributes as the LP; they both were outstanding.

I had "down-loaded" a lot of material using the 6922 tubes; they were the same kind of tubes, but not the same identical tubes. You are absolutely correct in saying the new tubes could have been better tubes? But I made more comparisons, and discovered that what I'm down-loading now, is far superior to what is already on hard- drive; consequently I'll be doing a lot of things over.

In late March I noted an improvement in overall audio, that was akin to a gigantic wax removal from my ear. This improvement is the result of our COVID 19 "lock-down", which has given us the "quiet-grid"; of that I am certain, it's equivalent to having obtained a whole house power regenerator. Someone understood me to say that power regenerators were useless, when I stated that if you were getting perfect AC they were useless because you can't improve on perfection.

You're not overly critical, just critically correct. Now I'm going to get back to my huge job of "down-loading" LP's. Happy listening!




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