2. amps-preamps
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solid state vs tubes

has anyone compared a tube amp to a solid state amp and discovered that the diffference sonically between them was undetectable. ? if so what was the tube amp and what was the solid state amp ?

the reason for the question is the basic issue of the ability to distinguish a tube amp from a solid state amp.

this is especially interesting if the components were in production during the 90's , 80's or 70's.

if the components are in current production the probability of such aan occurrence might increasea.

why own a tube amp if there exists a solid state amp that sounds indistinguishable from it ?
mrtennis
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,179 posts
 
the bel canto ref 1000m monoblocks i am running might be worth a try. very non fatigu
ing, even running triangle monitors which can be more towards the hot and analytic side of things, way more than maggies when i had them.
rleff
1,065 posts
 
mrtennis older jeff roland models 6,8t or 9t might work for you;my model 6 monoblocks perform quite well on my soundlab m2's;the original owner of the m2's was driving them with model 9t monoblocks.It might be the sound you are striving for.
magfan
1,583 posts
 
The difference between 'old' Maggies and 'new' is the difference between pole piece forward and mylar forward.
The old way, IMO was better. My original MG-1s had a character and feel about them not equaled by my 1.6s, until I did a rotate-in-place.

Anyone having 'brightness' or treble problems with Magnepan should try a simple rotate in place test, give 'em a few minutes and adjust to preference. Maybe even give it a day or more.

When I did the rotate thing, the change was so startling that I knew they'd stay that way. Had more of the character of the MG-1 without the heat of the 1.6 as well as a fuller center image and simply a wider 'listenable' seating area.

Cost? just a few minutes and the electricity you were going to use anyway, to listen to that new album.
larkston_zinazpic
41 posts
 
A few months ago I heard my Plinius SA-100 mkIII paired with some older Maggie 3A's, and even the SET lovers who were in attendance commented on how liquid and musical this combo was, although the Maggies certainly could have used more power if we wanted to achieve more substantial volume. Also it's important to note that there WERE tubes in the chain to make this listening session much sweeter, which included a Loesch & Weisner preamp and a Lector CDP with NOS Brimar tubes.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,179 posts
 
Yes, tube in the pre-amp and/or source along with good SS amp is a practical approach. That is where I have landed. I use the tube pre-amp and IcePower Class D amp with SS dac and phono. I have a similar tube dac also but that is not needed and used in my second system to give it just a dash of tubishness in an otherwise all SS setup as well. I have heard some veryy good tube amp setups, but have achieved a comparable sound with minimal # of tubes and associated pains, so I can recommend my systems as decent models for achieving tube amp-like sound without a tube amp.
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