effect of tubes in cd players

I use a Metronome C1A DAC and have just replaced the stock (Sovtek) tubes with 'better' ones from Mullard. The changes are huge in a positive way. The combination of 'modern' digital upsampling and 'old' analog tubes seems to be a very good one which leads to the holy grail of 'detail + warmth' (in my system). Hope this helps in this discussion.

I personally can't stand "warmth". I want it live and fast, and tubes can deliver this in spades if the circuits around them are designed right. There is no reason why tube designs cannot be fast, extended and with tight bass.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio
Manufacturer

11-11-06: Audioengr
I personally can't stand "warmth". I want it live and fast...

That statement speaks volumes, and I mean no disrespect. I wish more designers stated their personal preferences. It'd eliminate some guesswork when deciding what product to purchase.

Anything that colors the sound or rolls it off is what I'm trying to eliminate, of course without adding sibilance or harshness.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio
Manufacturer

Steve have you ever heard Wytechs? These tube amps (all SET) have the most bass I've heard of any tube amp. Very fast, tight, in a word, perfect for my tastes. No bloat. A real treat to listen to them.

When you mention you modding the Shanling and the SS turns out sounding better, is this with modding the tube stage as well? Have you thought about disconnecting the headphone stage and coupling these transformers to those of the tube output stage?

I prefer the tube stage of my cd player to the ss stage, but if the tubes aren't right, the ss stage will best it (and I've gone through 3 series of mods so both sections are modded out the wazoo).