Once again...looking for a "tube like" SS preamp

"The last time I counted, there were "eleventy eleven dozen" SS pre's that sounded "tubelike". Are there any SS pre's left that sound SS. The logic of buying a SS pre that sounds "tubelike" eludes me. I'm sure there are many who can enlighten me in regard to this matter."

Orpheus10 I'm sure your question is rhetorical but please let me make a stab at the REAL question and concern :)

"I want a ss preamp that has the harmonic richness, 3d palpability, believability factor, being drawn into the performance just like I hear with tubes but I don't want tubes, I want the plug and play convenience of ss. I DON'T want to deal with the hassle of tubes including wondering when the tubes are not operating at specifications, when to change, what tubes to use, my perception that they are just too much maintenance. Now please tell me what ss preamp to buy"

It is my experience that the best tube preamps can do EVERYTHING a great ss preamp can do, but the best ss preamp can't do what ALL tube preamps can even at the budget end of the spectrum, let you know that tubes are in the circuit for better or worse. The electrical characteristics of the two devices are different. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. If you don't want to hassle with tubes, get a ss preamp. If you love the sound that tubes present, get a tube preamp. I don't see any middle ground on this issue. There are some very nice ss preamps out there, make your choice and live with it but never the two shall be the same. If you want to lessen your exposure to tubes but want "tube sound" better to go tube preamp and ss amp.

Orpheus10 has a point. As a group we cannot agree on what is tube like sound, hence we get a huge range of choices for solid state that sound like tubes. There's inexpensive tubes, vintage tubes, modern tubes and modern/expensive tube sounds. They all sound different. The OP doesn't tell us why he can't use a tube pre and is considering going with a Bryston as a substitute. Go figure!

In all honesty Tubegroover, I have owned and still own 3 tube pre's. The first was a PV-10 in the mid 80's. My next pre was an Audible Illusions in 92. We moved in 99 and I failed to take the tubes out of the pre's; that's a "no no", movers and tubes do not mix, the tubes had to be replaced.

A few years ago I bought a PV-12 on the Gon with NOS tubes already in it, and I love it. All of my pre's have NOS tubes and they sound fine. The last time I bought tubes was over 10 years ago, all NOS from Brent Jesse.

When I got into the "high end", there were quite a few emporiums and you could audition most of the equipment you read about in "Stereophile". I spent so much time in those places, that when I got home late one evening, my wife asked me "What's her name?". There is never a good answer to that question. While the places I went to had Adcom, Rotel and a few other SS names, their most expensive and best was tube CJ and ARC. When your ears witness what happens when you replace CJ or ARC with Adcom or Rotel, they will never forget the effervescent sound of tubes. I have never had any of the hassles you mentioned with tubes. Have you experienced this or is it a perception?

As a music lover, life is too short to deprive yourself of a music lovers greatest pleasure, "an eargasm!" There are SS lovers who get "eargasms", but it's because they like a different type of sound and music, that's why we have the both of them.

All

Thank you very much for your responses. Orpheus10 - since you insisted on being bored, this is what I am trying to do. I currently have an Aesthetix Calypso Signature preamp with NOS Mullards. While I absolutely love the sound, I am looking for something that is relative hassle free in terms of warm up time, tube matching etc. My idea is to ADD a SS preamp in the system and run the tube preamp through it in a bypass mode. That way, I can use the SS for casual listening and switch to tubes only when playing records. Now, I know that running the tube preamp this way will result in a bit of a sonic degradation. I am willing to live with the compromise and did not want well meaning a'goners to sidetrack the thread from my main question.

Now, in hindsight, I asked a pretty dumb question. No SS can sound like tubes and no tubes can sound like SS. In addition, "tube like" means different things to different folks. After all, not all tube preamps sound the same either. Onhway61 - your point on the bryston is well taken. I had the chance to listen to it briefly yesterday and while we may disagree on what makes a tube sound - it is pretty clear that the bryston is quite far from it.

So, let me ask my question differently. What SS premp under $5k would you recommend for faitgue free musical sound? In your experience, would either the Capri or the Bryston BP26 fit this criteria?

Many thanks.

I have owned two that fit your needs very nicely.

- Tom Evans Vibe with Pulse power supply is fantastic and exactly what you are looking for.
- Bel Canto Pre 3 can be had for only $1000 used and is also very, very good and fits your needs. It surpasses the Rowland Capri in every possible way also.