Charles1dad & Jafox, have you heard the Io Eclipse (not Signature), over a prolonged period of time? I have not heard a better phono stage, although I have not done a lot of comparison. Many reviewers agree. Of course, there are others, newer, better in some respects and so on, but for now, with my tastes, I am satisfied. The fact that it needs a preamp is no mystery. I dont get fifty percent of the signal from Io, fifty from the Einstein I get 100 percent from the Io, or almost 100. A good thing about the Einstein, precisely, is that it doesnt add much on its own. My ears confirm what Fremer and other reviewers of the Tube have written. The question, which is best, is therefore less relevant for me, than: do they fit together? Changing tubes the last days has improved the sound. I am getting more positive. I am now trying Siemens 6922 in the phono inputs and Telefunken 12au7 - perhaps the best so far. I will post more on the Hytron and the RCA later.
Audiolabyrinth: it was the Tube (the preamp), not a specific tube, that was solid-state-sounding, according to earlier comments. I agree with what you say about magic, or musicality. All the tubes discussed above are NOS (Siemens, Tele, CBS Hytron, RCA). In general I would say that the best thing you can do is to get rid of the stock Russian or China tubes, and invest in NOS from a serious source, starting with the most sensitive tubes. The biggest change, for me, was going from stock Russian 12ax7 to Telefunken in the Ios gain stages, some years ago. Selecting between NOS is more a matter of taste. What kind of preamp, phono or digital source do you use? Too many 6h30 stock tubes with too much resolution? This sounds like a curable problem, although I have no direct experience with that type of tube.
Audiolabyrinth: it was the Tube (the preamp), not a specific tube, that was solid-state-sounding, according to earlier comments. I agree with what you say about magic, or musicality. All the tubes discussed above are NOS (Siemens, Tele, CBS Hytron, RCA). In general I would say that the best thing you can do is to get rid of the stock Russian or China tubes, and invest in NOS from a serious source, starting with the most sensitive tubes. The biggest change, for me, was going from stock Russian 12ax7 to Telefunken in the Ios gain stages, some years ago. Selecting between NOS is more a matter of taste. What kind of preamp, phono or digital source do you use? Too many 6h30 stock tubes with too much resolution? This sounds like a curable problem, although I have no direct experience with that type of tube.