Sigh. One more time. A tube pre with a ss power amp is the combo that J. Gordon Holt recommemded years ago. Of course, each must be worth listening to. I've had a tube pre with ss power amp for over a decade and will not go either all tube or all ss. Right now a 12au7 based pre with a Hypex based "Class D" power amp. Sweet.
can a tube-o-phile be happy with ss?
I switched to tubes over a decade ago, after realizing that I no longer listened to the stereo because it did not sound like real music and ss and digital were irritating, on a subconscious level. Went to all tubes and mostly LP's. It worked. I even prefer triode with no negative feedback settings, usually. Now ss has supposedly improved, and its advantages beckon, e.g., less heat, electricity and trouble, better bass and perhaps more detail and clarity. Have any of you voluntarily gone back to the dark side and been content? (with the understanding that it never really ends, for an audiophile). On an unlimited budget one might have few complaints, but this question is necessarily in the context of a semblance of fiscal sanity, not top of the line Boulder, Ayre or Zanden.
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- 50 posts total
- 50 posts total