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Digital Source with Tube Amplification

For perspective, I will be turning 36 next week so I didn't grow up listening to vinyl and have never really experienced tube amplification. I am getting a Yaqin EL34 tube integrated in the next couple of weeks and my dad thought it would be fun to use his vintage turntable as a source for a true analog listening experience. Logistics will likely make this difficult as we live states apart.

This discussion made me wonder what other peoples experiences have been using different combinations of gear. On the analog end you have a turntable and tube amplifier and on the digital end you have a CD player and a solid state amplifier.

I am curious if the people that prefer the analog systems enjoy the sound of a turntable with a solid state amplifier or a CD player with a tube amplifier more. Is one combination more analog sounding than the other in your experience?

Obviously, every experience and system is different so I am just looking for general observations based of your experiences.
mceljo
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
I'll play this rhetorical game. Of course I must begin with a caveat, ;), the recording must be of analog recording and analog mixing, because I would rather listen to a AAD CD than a digitally mastered LP.

So assuming that these recording parameters have been satisfied, I would choose 1, 2, 3, 4 as my preferred order of system combinations generally speaking.

Of course there are always exceptions to every rule, audio is a very subjective hobby, so as always, YMMV.
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,257 posts
 
Not to be negative, but perhaps it's your limited experience with audio equipment that leads you to believe there is a definitive answer. There are several unproven assumptions in your OP.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,472 posts
 
This is like the scientist teasing the mice......
mceljo OP
1,357 posts
 
Onhwy61 - I absolutely believe that there's some truth in almost every caveat that is mentioned, but my point is that these types of things should be assumed and unecessary to bring up in every post.

For example:
Jmcgrogan2's post could have simply said, "In my experience I'd rather listen to an AAD CD than a digitally mastered LP so assuming that the album being used is an analog recording with analog mixing, I would choose 1, 2, 3, 4 as my preferred order of system combinations generally speaking."

I would then take this to be his general opinion and not absolute fact in every case on every system combination. I'm guessing that some of the rest of the post was provided tongue in cheek, but you get my point.

Jmcgrogan2 does bring up an interesting point that a digitally mastered LP isn't superior to the CD. I have a coworker that strongly prefers vinyl, but says he can't really tell a difference between a digitally mastered LP and the same CD.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,472 posts
 
When I record vinyl to CD or digital CD res .wav file, I am generally not able to tell that CD or digital file is now the source.

I'm not saying my vinyl playback rig is the best out there, but it is pretty good, better than most, and sounds wonderful to me, so I am confident in saying it ain't no slouch either. And I think my digital is pretty well up there as well.
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