effect of tubes in cd players

my experience with tube rolling and components produced in 2005 and 2006 is that, with the possible exception of very low powered amps, the changes in sound are small.

it is my belief that manufacturers design circuits which are insensitive to tubes.

i have experience with a cary, bat, minimax, jolida and audionote cd player. the audionote cd2 showed the most variation with changes in tubes. the other players were hardly affected at all.

I agree, some designs will be more sensitive. My Cayin 17 showed enough improvement over the stock tubes to justify the 175.
I have plans for upgradeing caps next

Mr T,

How do you define small?

Perhaps in another persons experience and with their expectations they would feel that the same sound difference should be described as large.

Can you give us a point of reference so we can understand your subjective conclusions better. I wouldn't normally expect this of a person, but your recent thread on how one should describe musical performances and your views of the value of subjective comments suggests to me that you did not intend to leave such an ambiguious post, leaving the reader to understand your meaning of the use of the word small.

Look forward to reading your clarification of your observation.

i wish i could quantify the word small. i will try to explain it in two ways.

consider qualitative terms such as small, large, salty, sweet, as thresholds.

basically subjective in perception, a difference which is mall has to exceed some expectation in one's mind, whence hearing it any difference exceeding it is gretaer than small.

that is, one must first perceive a differnce between two instances of sonic reproduction but consider it below some expected difference which in a personal sense constitutes your idea of small.

this may be very vague. i will try another approach.

if iam listening to two 12ax7 tubes and hear a slight difference but am indifferent as to preference, that difference is surely small.

newbee, you are right in your observation that one person's large can be another's small, but it certainly defies logic how that could happen.

i hope i have shed some light on the subject rather than be confusing.

i can sum up my philosophy: a difference (is perceived) which makes no difference (it doesn't matter to the perceiver) is no difference ( will not motivate one to take an action)

>>i wish i could quantify the word small<<

Piece of cake. Take a person who allegedly writes magazine reviews. For argument's sake let's, for grins and giggles, use somebody posting in these threads. Now add up all of his/her meaningful posts. That is a stellar example and definition of small.