2. amps-preamps
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Can tube preamps be as 'detailed' sounding as ss?

Recently I bought a minimax tubed preamp. After several weeks of listening and comparing to my Plinius Cd-Lad pre, I've decided I like some things about the minimax, but more things about the Plinius
1. minimax adds a sense of realism and increased soundstage depth a little
2. minimax added more hiss to the system
3. better bass with the Plinius
4. better details and clarity with the Plinius
5. Wider soundstage with Plinius

I really enjoyed the increase sense of realism though. Is it possible that a better tubed pre (such as Cary slp-98) would retain the clarity and details of the Plinius and add the midrange lushness? Or would a hybrid tube pre give the best of both worlds (like a Cary slp-308)?
thanks for your thoughts
rest of system, Bryston 3bst, Ayre cx-7, Audio Physics Libra
machman12000
bartokfan
664 posts
 
Google up Acoustic Sounds, look at the Cayin SC6LS. Its a bit pricey on their site, shop around.
bartokfan
664 posts
 
Also ck out Xiansheng 728. Clean looking and offers plenty of tubes at a incredible price
http://www.pacificvalve.us/XS728III.html
zaikesman
3,017 posts
 
Bartokfan...no, I'm not even gonna say anything...

Machman20000: You could make the argument that, since a tube preamp will always have a higher noise floor and a longer rise-time (slower slew rate) than a SS preamp, that tube pre's (or amps in general) can never really be quite as 'detailed'. Although probably technically true, how tube vs. SS actually translates into the listening experience doesn't seem as simple as this. But to answer your other question, yeah, it's quite likely that trying a better tube preamp will yield improved detail.
plato
1,543 posts
 
The simple answer is "no."

While I agree with Zaikesman that there may be some tube preamps with better detail than the one you tried, you have hit upon the classic tradeoff between tubes and solid state.

Now all you need to do is decide which presentation you prefer. Tubes can be smoother and more musical at the expense of being more noisy and not being as articulate and detailed at the frequency extremes. Congratulations and welcome to the real world.

I personally like having at least one tube component in my electronics chain, but that can vary with the particular recording and my mood at the time. Accordingly, I have a nice tube DAC hooked up to one preamp input, and my Rega Planet's ss analog outputs hooked up to another. YMMV.
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