tubes and analog

Dear Atmasphere: Absolutely wrong: I heard it in three different audio systems.

Please don't go a head with: +++++ " there is nothing misleading about my statement at all and it is very easy to demonstrate at any level of cost ... " +++++.

I'm not against the tube technology but it is totally unfair to make the kind of statements that you do, that kind of opinion does not help to the people only confuse them because today there are many examples of SS technology that in several ways and overall are better than the best tube technology : and like you say " is very easy to demonstrate ".

Please stay calm about.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

>>but it is totally unfair to make the kind of statements<<

The truth isn't always fair.

Regards and enjoy the tubes.

I have listened to Raul's SS preamp/phono and it generated more detail and bass retrieval than my tubed CAT. I think the differences are more in the area of tonality. Whether right or wrong, by distortion or not, tubes can sometimes provide a more pleasureable tone.

I am plenty calm Raul, despite your attempts otherwise. And FWIW, my statements are plenty 'fair'... (whatever *that* means :)

I have yet to see any of the solid state that you refer to, having been doing CES and the like since 1989 I've been exposed to a lot of it, and a lot of it has been quite expensive. I also do not have to rely on opinion.

Many transistor units have higher distortion at lower output levels where low level detail exists. Tubes OTOH make vanishingly low distortion at lower levels- so low level detail is not obscured by distortion. This is so easy to demonstrate at almost any cost level that your statement would seem to strain credulity.

I have owned literally hundreds of tubes and solidstate amps and preamps (and phonostages) over the years, everything from MFA Lumi C/MC Reference, Lamm L1/L2, Airtight ATE-2/ATM-2, Counterpoint SA4/SA9/SA11, Atma-Sphere M60s, Futterman OTL3/H3A, Vendetta SCP-2B, JRDG Cadence/Coherence II, Threshold SA1/SA4e, Spectral DMC-20 NKII, Levinson ML-2/6B/7A/N0.26s/25s/20.6/380S, Marantz 2/5/7C/8B, etc, and currently have 5 turtables (EMT 930ST, Garrard 301 w/EMT 997 and SME3012R, Thorens TD124 II with Ortofon RMG212, Linn LP12 Valhalla w/ Naim Aro, and Win SDC-1) hooked up to various tube and solidstage equipments and I have owned many other turntables in the past.

I believe I am qualified to speak my opinion based on my experience, so please don't tell me I have not heard a properly set up system with the state-of-the-art analog and tube electronics.

While I prefer tube over solidstate and agree with your opinion that tube gears sound smoother than SS in general, I don't think tubes inherently retrieve more details than transistors. It all depends on the design and how competent a designer is.

You obviously have a vested interest in tubes, being a manufacturer of OTL amps and preamps (I like/admire your design a lot), and I can certainly appreciate your enthusiasm and strong belief in the superiority of tube over transistor, but stating your opnion as if it is the only truth does not earn my respect (not that you need it!).

I have heard many lousy sounding/unreliable tube equipments and the same can be said of the SS gears too. I have also heard and owned some very nice sounding tube gears and the same can be said of the SS gears.