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TRL Dude Dilemna

Based on all the high praise for the TRL Dude preamp here and other sites, I took a chance and bought one from a local A-goner to see if it could displace an Air Tight ATC-2 preamp currently in my system. The two amps I currently use are a McIntosh MC-402 and Viva 845 SET Monos. It turns out that the Dude is not compatible with either amps due to an impedance mismatch. So I only got to hear the Dude in a compromised performance mode.
I was not quite wanting to give up on the Dude yet given everyone else's enthusiasm about its performance. I am considering the Samson monos as a natural match. I can convince myself that the Samson's could be better than the MC402..My real issue is that I would have to give up the Vivas. Not sure I can make the leap that a solid state amp will satisfy me as much as those SET Vivas. Then there is the leap of faith that I cannot hear the Samsons with purchasing them....
Has anyone replaced their SET amp with Samsons and remained satisfied with the decision? My speakers are the Green Mountain Audio Continuum 3 which are about 90db efficient with an impedance 6.5 Ohms, +/- 0.75 Ohms 150Hz to 20kHz. Thanks for your input..
tellefsen
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Hi,
Pete, I returned the Dude exactly the way it was. While in my home jeff and I replaced your 6sn7(power supply) with a Slyvania version( even better we both thought) but then placed yours back in prior to repacking.Pete thanks again for the very generous loan.

Bill, we listened to the Dude over a period of 2 days,I think it was pretty warmed up by then.
The Dude is 'very fine'(it really did sing with the Fankensteins) as I said in my comparison post last week, it really responds to different tubes(we tried some Tungsols in the signal path also).I hope you have an opprotunity to hear the Coincident Statement Linestage one day in your system.
Best Regards,
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,468 posts
 
Charles1dad, I hope to do just that. The more I "play" with gear the more I realize that total system synergy is very, very important. Perhaps I should just fork out the $$ and get TRL tube amps! I would love to hear your system should the opportunity present itself in the future.
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Bill, would the TRL tube amps drive your Sound Labs?
If you`re ever visiting near Detroit please let me know.
I live about 25 minutes outside the city limits.
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,468 posts
 
Well yes, TRL makes tube amps that will drive any speaker, but they cost more then my budget will allow. He makes tube amps that put out up to 400 watts per channel and will drive 2 ohm impedances in the highs.

I have two in college and kids must come before amps :-)
My current Atlas amp is very good however and more then I NEED.
agear
1,362 posts
 
Tellefsen, its a nice dilemma to have. I have heard your speakers in the distant past, and from sonic memory, they were fairly neutral. If your sonic bias is already titled towards tubes, a switch to SS may not be wise. Another phile who owns my speakers (Fried Reference) also owns the Viva monos along with a Viva pre-amp and loves them to death. I myself have fiddled with SET amplification (Kora Galaxy, 50W) with the Dude. As expected, it did some things better than the Samsons (in my system), including texture, and sound staging, but the Samsons are so dynamic and bristle with lifelike energy that they made the Kora sound pretty and polite...almost dead.

I think the obvious solution (stated above by Jtwrace) is to get Paul's new GT160s. You will bet the best of both worlds....
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