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What are the advantages of tubes in a CD Player?

.....and are they better than solid state CD Players? I have had a few players. Rega Apollo, NAD 542, and a Cambridge Audio (actually a DVD Player). I loved the Apollo, but thought I wanted to go to a complete Computer Audio system so I sold it. Now I am contemplating buying another player. I hear the tube sound is so warm and non-digital sounding, which is why I bought the Apollo, well that and the look of it. So, should I go tubes this time? I was looking at that Raysonic 128 and the Shanling and maybe even the Consonance Droplet
restless_times
tvad
9,467 posts
 
The Consonance Droplet is not warm sounding. I have not heard the Raysonic. Very little current production tube gear is warm sounding.

My suggestion if you want to add some nice warmth and creaminess to your system is to try a MHDT Lab Paradisea DAC. It has toslink, S/PDIF and BNC inputs, and it uses one 5670 tube as a buffer. Really nice sound from this DAC. Sold only on E-Bay for $499 plus $35 shipping from the builder in Taiwan.

You could run your computer audio through it, and if you want to play CDs, you could buy a used Sony 7000ES or 7700ES DVD player. They are excellent transports.
steuspeed's avatar
steuspeed
501 posts
 
Sonic Frontiers SFCD-1 or you could also go with a tube DAC. The SFD-2 is one of the best Red Book dacs ever made.
jaybo
4,478 posts
 
there are none. its simply a preference for people who like tubes
trelja
3,215 posts
 
Grant, if I may ask, what were your impressions of the Droplet?

Thanks in advance!
Joe
reb1208
518 posts
 
One of the potential advantages are life like dynamics. Often, tube output stages will make the drums sound more like what you hear from vinyl.
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