Slam possible with Tubes instead of SS ??

I just read the thread posted by Tvad about the noise problems associated with Plinius amps. Yes, they are a bit noisier than a lot of amps, but in my situation, the noise level is far enough below the threshold of hearing it at normal listening volume (and up), it's a non-issue for me. I do use a passive line stage, as suggested in the thread, this may help in lowering the noise floor.

The performance of this amp is so good, I don't mind a bit of extra noise, which I don't hear at all when playing music. The two trannies do hum, though, even when the amp is in mute mode. Though not perfect, the way they make music sound far outweighs their deficiencies, at least for me.

Regards,
Dan

I am very tolerant of many different flavors of system sound, but I have very low tolerance for noise of any kind.

If I put my ear up to the speaker and hear anything other than silence when the system is on even if only at higher than normal volumes and nothing is playing, I consider it a potential problem, even if practically it is not apparent during normal listening.

I agree with Tvad that noise can and often does have a negative effect on overall sonic performance when present even if virtually impossible to hear flat out.

Interesting points on noise. While I tend to agree with Tvad and Mapman as noise through my speakers drives me crazy....

What about all the noises in one's listening room that are certainly louder then some hiss trough speakers or mechanical transformer hum. Things like...

- home noises like a heater, blower, refrigerator,noise from another room, person in the house in another room etc..

- my own breathing, pages turning etc...

- outside wind, rain etc...

- many recordings have some background hiss and still sound great

- goodness what about all the record surface noise and clicks and pops of dust and dirt

Well you get my point. A little speaker noise is certainly no worse and often times far better then life noise in and around our music rooms?

Now, if we are talking about lack of distortion, silence and space between instruments and those other nuances that great gear does so well, then yes I am in 100% agreement.

Right now I am trying to silence some panel noise in my SoundLab speakers. No, I can't hear it when the music is playing, but it bothers me still. I sat down and told myself the things I mentioned above and said "Grannyring just enjoy". Is that panel noise really getting in the way of the music or rather is it my quest for perfection? In this case perfection means silencing every single little noise.

Could be a good topic for further comments...

Defending my position of championing Plinus was not my objective, though it might not have come out that way. I think it's unfortunate that Blueskies is having problems with the amps in his system, and I hope he resolves the problem quickly and painlessly. In audio, as we all know, what works for one guy (or gal), may not work for another.

Best wishes to all,
Dan