Thank you all for the feedback. I'm happy to read that I'm not the only one preferring the EL-34 sound, nor the stock Prima Luna tubes, which seem to be a lot better than folks give them credit for.
I did run into a little bit of a dilemma, though. When I switched from the KT-120's back to the amp's stock EL-34 tubes (and after I collected my jaw from the floor and kicked myself in the head for having sacrificed all that sweetness, midrange magic, openness and transparency for so long), most of my listening was done using the digital side of my system (an Oppo 95 playing mostly FLAC and hi-res files from an external drive, and SACDs via Nordost Heimdall interconnects). This combination sounded simply glorious. All the usual attributes of the EL-34 sound were there, but bass was also abundant and tuneful. It wasn't as tight as with the KT-120's, but nor was it excessive or bloated. In my room and with my speakers, it was simply JUST RIGHT. My digital "front end" never sounded better! In fact, it never sounded this smooth and analog-like. I could listen to this combination for hours and hours, and that is precisely what I have been doing lately.
BUT, when I finally decided to listen to some vinyl (Pro-Ject RM 5.1 SE table with Dynavector 10X5), the synergy was not as magical. In short, for whatever reason, unknown to me, the bass is considerably weaker now. Tight, ripe and alive using digital, and yet VERY limited in extension when switching to analog. Low bass is almost NON-EXISTENT. My Sonus faber Toy Towers now sound like terrific monitors instead of 3-way (almost) full range towers. The midrange magic is there more than ever, but I'm missing the foundation. Phono pre-amp is a Pro-Ject Phono Box S. I triple-checked all the settings and nothing had changed since the last time. I have to say that the KT-120 and KT-88s were a better match in this case, particularly since I listen to a lot of 70's rock on vinyl.
So, now, of course, I miss my Gold Lion KT-88's. I know the 120's are NOT for me (too harsh and bright, too "solid-state" for digital), and if anything these last few days serve as confirmation and reminder that I am more of an "EL-34 type of guy". But I listen to vinyl a lot and now there's something not quite right with this tube and my table/cartridge combination. Digital sounds like analog and analog sounds TOO soft and with no real "bite". I REALLY, REALLY love the Prima Luna with EL-34's and my digital front-end, but I am torn as to what to do to aid bass extension when listening to vinyl. I might have to give the Gold Lion KT-88s another try, hoping NOT to loose much of the beauty of the EL-34's in the process.
Could any of you folks with similar experiences share your thoughts, try to explain to me WHY such a huge discrepancy in overall presentation is apparent between digital and analog, or recommend an EL-34 that that has a little more of a pronounced and ballsier low-end? Thanks in advance.
I did run into a little bit of a dilemma, though. When I switched from the KT-120's back to the amp's stock EL-34 tubes (and after I collected my jaw from the floor and kicked myself in the head for having sacrificed all that sweetness, midrange magic, openness and transparency for so long), most of my listening was done using the digital side of my system (an Oppo 95 playing mostly FLAC and hi-res files from an external drive, and SACDs via Nordost Heimdall interconnects). This combination sounded simply glorious. All the usual attributes of the EL-34 sound were there, but bass was also abundant and tuneful. It wasn't as tight as with the KT-120's, but nor was it excessive or bloated. In my room and with my speakers, it was simply JUST RIGHT. My digital "front end" never sounded better! In fact, it never sounded this smooth and analog-like. I could listen to this combination for hours and hours, and that is precisely what I have been doing lately.
BUT, when I finally decided to listen to some vinyl (Pro-Ject RM 5.1 SE table with Dynavector 10X5), the synergy was not as magical. In short, for whatever reason, unknown to me, the bass is considerably weaker now. Tight, ripe and alive using digital, and yet VERY limited in extension when switching to analog. Low bass is almost NON-EXISTENT. My Sonus faber Toy Towers now sound like terrific monitors instead of 3-way (almost) full range towers. The midrange magic is there more than ever, but I'm missing the foundation. Phono pre-amp is a Pro-Ject Phono Box S. I triple-checked all the settings and nothing had changed since the last time. I have to say that the KT-120 and KT-88s were a better match in this case, particularly since I listen to a lot of 70's rock on vinyl.
So, now, of course, I miss my Gold Lion KT-88's. I know the 120's are NOT for me (too harsh and bright, too "solid-state" for digital), and if anything these last few days serve as confirmation and reminder that I am more of an "EL-34 type of guy". But I listen to vinyl a lot and now there's something not quite right with this tube and my table/cartridge combination. Digital sounds like analog and analog sounds TOO soft and with no real "bite". I REALLY, REALLY love the Prima Luna with EL-34's and my digital front-end, but I am torn as to what to do to aid bass extension when listening to vinyl. I might have to give the Gold Lion KT-88s another try, hoping NOT to loose much of the beauty of the EL-34's in the process.
Could any of you folks with similar experiences share your thoughts, try to explain to me WHY such a huge discrepancy in overall presentation is apparent between digital and analog, or recommend an EL-34 that that has a little more of a pronounced and ballsier low-end? Thanks in advance.