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My ProAc Studio 200s are….

So glad to be mated back with a tube amplifier!

Every year through summer due to both the heat on my 2nd floor and for a change….I switch to a solid state amplifier….. this year an Odyssey Khartago plus.

Nice amplifier. Nice overall tonal balance…Nice midrange, great detail without being bright. Clean, well defined highs….but doesn’t have the lifelike sound that tubes have with these speakers. Main issue is that ievery solid state amp I have used (Aragon 4004 II, Parasound HCA-1000) sounds artificial, a bit dry and lifeless.

i know I am not throwing in some high $$$ amps here…..again, it is just summer fun and a few months of change.

inserted my Rogue ST-90 and instruments just became fuller, more liquid sounding….a bit larger, more dimensional….but in all…..just more lifelike than the solid state. Oddly (as an amateur bass player) better bass definition with the Rogue also. The Odyssey has a slightly better initial transient but then is soft and has less of the tone/character of the bass being used. Acoustic guitar (listening again to Buddy Guy - Blues Singer) is so much more lifelike paired with the Rogue than the Odyssey.

The Solid State amps have also made these speakers sound closer to large stand mounted speakers than the rather full range floorstanders that they are.

This is why some playing with audio equipment is fun!

The Odyssey rocked through summer…..and I may switch back and forth a bit through fall.
foeraus
foeraus OP
31 posts
 
Actually too…..making the amplifier swap made me re-assess that the Rogue was sounding a bit chesty on voices…..basically a little thick in the upper bass and lower midrange….and a little rolled off on top. A swap from the installed Tung Sol reissue 6SN7s to the original Chinese 6SN7s (maybe a little more balanced) to JJ 6SN7s really worked too.
Turning system on today with fresh ears also just sounded “right”.
foeraus OP
31 posts
 
”My sentiments exactly with a lot of decent tube amps mated to transparent speakers.”
👍🏼
tennisdoc56
128 posts
 
Struggling with a class a solid state 30 wpc integrated in this prolonged Florida summer. Hotter than tubes 
tennisdoc56
128 posts
 
Struggling with a class a solid state 30 wpc integrated in this prolonged Florida summer. Hotter than tubes 
aewarren
673 posts
 
I think your assessment of solid state vs tube amps may be a bit unfair. The sound between the two have narrowed remarkably, especially as of late. I am a fan of tube gear (ARC) but decided to not use their tube amps because I just could not tolerate another high heat component in my room, so I went SS (Ayre) and am very happy with the performance. Comparing a few brands in your system does not necessarily mean the issues you had with SS amps vs tube amps are universal to them all. I am glad you found an amp to your liking that matches well with your speakers. It could be that your speakers simply work better with tubes. Either way, good for you for experimenting and for knowing what you like.
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