lastwaltz, my guess is that you haven't heard a "really good" ss amp, as (1) there aren't very many, and (2) they are all pretty expensive. My list of "really good" ss amps under $5k and $10k retail is: Ayre V5x ($4500) and Pass X350 ($9000). Perhaps some will object to this brevity, but I don't know of any others that are as good as these two in their price range. If you can find either, listen to it, preferably with a good tube preamp. You have been warned, though: you'll find it hard to go back to budget gear.
Where do tubes matter most???
Here's a question from a newbie:
Where do you get the most of that nice "tube sound"? Some say the ratio of importance of tubes in the pre-amp vs power amp is 75/25, others say it's really 50/50. Some say a good hybrid amp will get you most of the way there, others seem to be more all or nothing.
I see a lot of Hybrids with pre-amp tubes, but I never see any hybrids that have solid state preamp with a tube amplifler. I'm assuming this is because It's less expensive to drive inefficient speakers with a solid state amplifier, but do considerations of musicality and sound fit into this design?
Where do you get the most of that nice "tube sound"? Some say the ratio of importance of tubes in the pre-amp vs power amp is 75/25, others say it's really 50/50. Some say a good hybrid amp will get you most of the way there, others seem to be more all or nothing.
I see a lot of Hybrids with pre-amp tubes, but I never see any hybrids that have solid state preamp with a tube amplifler. I'm assuming this is because It's less expensive to drive inefficient speakers with a solid state amplifier, but do considerations of musicality and sound fit into this design?
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- 15 posts total
- 15 posts total