Hello Sam, I’ve been in hifi audio for over 30 yrs and have heard so much nonsense from people, I sometimes can’t believe what people write. Some important things I’ve discovered throughout the yrs. Your question about changing from a tube amp to SS can only be answered by knowing the rest of your system and why or exactly are you looking to improve in sound. I personally have never found SS to sound better than a well designed tube amplifier in the areas of engagement and transparency. I do find SS to be more accurate but it lacks the air and ultimate 3D dimensionality tubes give. I only use SS amps for systems that require it’s power. I’ve found that SS amps cannot sound warm and very transparent at the same time whereas tube amps can. So, from a person as myself who has various systems setup in my home of very high quality components of both SS amps and tubes, my opinion would be to stick with your tube amplifier if it runs your speakers fine. If you have problems with power in your present system, you could try a Class A SS. I run a pair of Class A SS mono block Threshold amps on my Electrostats speakers and even though the sound is very pure and transparent, I must admit, my 300b, EL34 and 805 power tube amps have something special in immediacy and engagement that SS do not have. Why don’t you borrow of purchase a high quality Class A SS amp and do an AB comparison with your tube amp. You should notice that the SS will sound more accurate which might lead you to believe it’s more transparent but take notice to which design engages you more and which draws you into the the music better. See which gives you a more 3D dimensional soundstage and which design throws the soundstage out further in the room, not just behind the speakers but out towards you and even behind your listening position. I wish you a lot of luck in building a system that brings happiness to you. Throughout the years, I’ve learn the hard way that building a great sounding system is not about spending a lot of money but about a lot of hard work and research and help.
Mid-fi tube vs high-end SS
Hello everyone. I am new here but not new to audio. I’ve been meaning to buy a high-end permanent SS amp for 2 years now. But not sure how much improvement I can get.
A little about what I have. I use a high-quality tube amp I bought for around $1,500. 55 watts per channel Class A. With upgraded tubes it’s a little over $2,000. The amp I have is the Musical Paradise mp-501 I’ll link below. Using upgraded Kt-170 tubes along with some nos 5693 red tubes and 717-a tubes.
My audio knowledge and listen ability has improved substantially these past few years thanks partly to this tube amp. Sorry for the long-winded intro. My actual question is, how much improvement should I expect going from this tube amp to something high-end SS like the Gato 150 and the incredible DVA M225? Very little reviews on the Gatos, I’m hoping I could get some help here, even anything about the Gato 150 from users would be helpful. Ty
https://www.musicalparadise.ca/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=55
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- 68 posts total
This is exactly the kind of wise, experienced, helpful comment that keeps this forum vital and worth reading. Thank you, lowtubes!
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@lowtubes Ty for the thorough insights. Really. =) |
Indeed. I will say that my SS reached deeper than my tubes did. |
- 68 posts total