I hate to say it, but now I think maybe I like my amp in ultralinear mode versus triode

" For most of the twenty three years that I have owned this amp I have always felt that I preferred triode"

Your hearing  isn't as sharp as it was. Now UL is needed to "push" instrument passages closer to please the ear. That's my personal diagnosis as hearing degeneration and tinnitus  take over. 

"In UL the voices seemed closer to me than I remember them sounding in triode."

My experience toggling between the 2-

Triode-instrumentation is pushed back with vocal taking center stage.

UL- instruments pushed forward just behind vocals.

@tablejockey excellent point! 

Makes sense.  I owned the Cary V12R and the Carly SLI-80 both, and yes hat's how it sounds between UL / Triode switched modes over several years.  

With those amps, Triode switched mode will have rounder top and bottom end. sounding softer. Ultralinear switch mode will be more dynamic and controlled, not lacking in top or bottom end.  

While I listened mostly in Triode modes at first with both Cary stereo amps, I later compared to my current Quicksilver Mono 120 tube amps which are dedicated Ultralinear circuit design - there is more clarity and dynamics to it overall.   

The only thing I can think of, your amp is more effortless in ultralinear?

@grislybutter , I was thinking along those lines myself. The Revels (sensitivity 86 and minimum impedance 4.7 ohms) are supposed to be an easy load to drive (according to the reviews) and I didn’t think that the amp was straining in 50 wpc triode, but maybe it was and I didn’t know it.

@audphile1

It’s not night and day but enough to hear.

Yes! That’s the way I would describe it. I still haven’t tried A/Bing those PCs from Amazon, the Preffairs (sp?), but if there was a difference with those, it was subtle to the point that my untrained ears were unable to detect it. With that typed, my ears are not that great (and those PCs have been in the system for a while now, so now maybe I would). However, I immediately heard this today, as in immediately, and although it didn’t sound like a whole different component, if I could hear it, with my ears, that says something. As I typed previously, today I liked it.

@artemus_5

not sure why you "hate to say it" that UL sounds better than Triode.

Well, I guess because for nearly 23 years I steadfastly maintained that triode sounded more refined and also "more better." Perhaps I was wrong about "more better."

@tablejockey

Your hearing isn’t as sharp as it was. Now UL is needed to "push" instrument passages closer to please the ear. That’s my personal diagnosis as hearing degeneration and tinnitus take over.

"In UL the voices seemed closer to me than I remember them sounding in triode."

My experience toggling between the 2-

Triode-instrumentation is pushed back with vocal taking center stage.

UL- instruments pushed forward just behind vocals.

I am willing to concede that my hearing is worse now than it was when I bought that amp. And considering that I spent a lot of my adult life around jet engines and hammering rivets with inadequate hearing protection, I often wonder how good it ever was back when I started my personal quest for "better sound." Your description of UL versus triode I think is what I was getting today. I’ll pay closer attention tomorrow.

@decooney , I was meaning to ask you about your feelings of triode versus UL with your V12.

Don’t feel bad about it. There’s some paranormal audiophile force that makes us feel like the more "purist" approach must always be better: triode versus pentode, DHT versus separate heaters, single-ended versus push-pull, ladder-dac versus delta-sigma, discrete circuitry versus opamp / IC, lower output MC versus higher, single full-range driver versus multiple etc. However, when we shut up and actually listen, we can plainly see this isn’t always the case - and certainly, preferences play their hand heavily here. And preferences can change over time - you’re allowed :)

I’ve done plenty of triode vs. UltraLinear comparisons on Rogue amps and prefer UL 9 times out of 10 (maybe more). Better dynamics and PRaT (or whatever you call it) for certain. I do play loud, and a lot of rock - certainly, that factors in. Triode has sweeter mids by a smidge, but it’s honestly so minor IMO. UL is awesome. Don’t confuse UL with "Pentode" mode. UL one of those rare compromises that leans very heavily into "best of both worlds" territory. It was hot sh*t when it was invented back in the 1940’s (!!), and still is. When I need a sweeter midrange (a common complaint in Rogue amps), rolling the right tubes moves the needle MUCH further than switching down to triode mode. That way I can get both dynamics, slam, and sweetness. The stock tubes can be fairly awful, honestly. I just put some Tung-Sol 7581A tubes in a Rogue ST100 I picked up for fun (office rig), threw away the stock JJ 12A*7’s (JJ’s go right in the trash), and holy crap this amp sounds amazing! Had a friend over to confirm. Yes, UL mode. I’ve owned Rogue's top-dog Apollo Darks before, own top-end VAC, and this little combo is somehow blowing me away right now.