Tube vs SS vs Digital

Wolfie, definitely the best post of the day, and probably the week :-)

Mbovaird, I'm not particularly familiar with your speakers, but based on their impedance curve I suspect that most tube amps would not be good matches for them. Their variation of impedance as a function of frequency (low in the bass and lower mid-range regions; high in the upper mid-range and lower treble regions) will interact with the relatively high output impedance of a tube amp to produce a significantly brighter sound than with the low output impedance of a solid state amp. I suspect that with most quality tube amps that added brightness will be objectionable.

Also, given their roughly 4 ohm impedance at lower frequencies, their 86db/2.83V/1m sensitivity is effectively only 83db for a 1 watt input at 1 meter. So you will obviously need lots of power, and it is probably safe to assume that high powered tube amplification will be considerably more expensive than high powered solid state amplification of comparable quality.

I have no particular opinion on Classe vs. Bel Canto, or on Class AB solid state vs. Class D generally.

Regards,
-- Al

Wolf,

Good point! Tubes are a lot more fun to play with than transistors. Not that I've tried....recently.

Well, I seem to recall I may have actually as a kid. I had a shoebox filled with little gadgets I collected around to play with. I seem to recall a tube or two in there. I did not have a lot of things from the toy store as a kid so I had to improvise. I probably used the tubes to help create sets for re-enactments of scenes I had seen on "Lost In Space" where the sets tended to glow a lot.

Anything can happen. Output driver tubes can "blow" and place full voltage at the speaker terminals. Same as output drivers on transistor amps blowing and taking out speakers. There are protection circuitry in good equipment that mitigate this so, it is really hard for this to happen. Maybe the guy was trying to sell you a SS amp. However, my advice is to don't buy the mind blowing tube vs solid state argument. Just go "borrow" equally matched amps, solid state and tube in your price range, (compare apples to apples please) and place the amp in your system without changing anything else and listen for yourself. You will find some pleasant suprises with good tube equipment and some drawbacks. Same as with solid state. You will find something that will simply make you smile and not want to get up. Typically, that is the one you can't afford, but if you can, that is the one you buy.

plain and simple. Tube and solid state equipment have been around for quite some time. There are some outstanding tube equipment and some outstanding solid state equipment. Again, audition apples to apples. Same price point, etc. for tube and solid state and you will definitely get a good indication of what you (not anyone else) like. Try hard to not buy until you after you have heard both in your system. You are thinking of both the amp and pre-amp so this is really difficult. For $15k, you can find a combination that would be wonderful. However, don't dismiss the posibility of a tube pre-amp and solid state amp. The fun is that you have time and can take your time comparing and listening. Any decent store sells demo equipment all the time, so they will either set up a room for you with equipment similar to what you have a home for comparison purposes or they will let you take the amp/pre-amp combination home (after giving up the credit card information) for a home demo.

With your price point established, take home a tube pre-amp/amp combo first, the swap the tube amp for a solid state amp, then swap the tube pre-amp for a solid state pre-amp and then back to the tube amp and you will have a good idea. However, there will be many amps and pre-amps both tube and solid state within your price range and many are outstanding, so don't just listen to one manufacturer. listen to several and have fun.

Minorl has given you the best advice I have seen in a while in any forum...There are always tidbits of this and never into this amount of detail and honesty. ...And its true and should be seriously considered...We all have gone on the merry go around and then you got the Wolf Garcia stage...playin with yer tubes...thats a good one...dont wanto to know what you dress them up to be..but...hmm sounds like a new thread...

Its up to your ears and the music you are delighted with that will bring you hopeful satisaction and Minorl has paved the way for you..Enjoy the journey...

The Music Never Stopped........

I wouldn't assume your dealer is lying, and if I was buying without trying, I would take Al's advice very seriously.