Help learn diff.between SS and Tube

Hi Perfectimage. You have a point about speaker matching. I had been running VAC PA 160's with my Martin Logan CLS's and switched to a Mesa Baron. Neither can be described as mushy. The VAC's had better detail, but the Baron has big balls and great flexibility. Since upgrading to E34L tubes the Baron is closer to the VAC's in terms of detail. As you probably know, CLS's are no picnic to drive due to current/voltage demands and very wide impedance swings. My speakers never seemed to open up with a variety of ss amps -- dryer and somewhat analytical compared to the tube amps I tried. Higher powered tube amps drive them with ease and also have a natural, open musical character to them. The Baron was not the most powerful (or most expensive) amp that I auditioned -- I'm not never running it in full pentode still have power to spare. Hell, it's not even breathing hard and I had higher powered ss amps fall apart trying to deal with my speakers' impedance swings. The Wolcotts and Power 3's have the same kind of non-mushy, authoritive presence. I think it comes down to the individual character of each amp and the rest of your system. All that I've mentioned (VAC's excluded) are what I would call big-balls tube amps. Yeah, a 15w single ended OTL will have a different sound. But there are tube products out there that can be balls to the wall when you need it. It's funny... I hear certain ss amps described as being tube-like and certain tube amps as being solid-state like in bass control. Go figure. For my tastes and my speakers, tubes are getting me closer to the music. Happy Holidays.

hi all,

i wonder what synergy there is between tube preamp/solid-state amp, & ss preamp/tube amp? i know many folks get good results w/tubed pre's & ss amps - myself included. i've also heard a couple folks have good results doing it the other way around. i looked into the mesa baron, cuz there was a good deal on one on the 'net recently, but mesa's www specifically recommends *against* using their baron amp w/a tubed preamp. interesting...

doug

Hi Doug. Mesa actually recommends using either a passive or medium gain tube linestage (see "comments" in associated equipment section). Also confirmed this in conversations with designer and tech people there. Not sure about where on their site that there is other contradictory info, though. The concern with high gain preamps is based on the Baron's own high gain characteristics. This was a real concern for me since I'm using an Audible Illusions Mod3 (NOS Seimens 6DJ8's) which has exceptionally high gain. Fortunately, I have absolutely none of the noise or tube ringing that are of concern here. Maybe it would be different with the Sovtek's -- the Seimens are pretty special tubes. I'm still looking for another preamp, however... the lack of volume adjustability (also balance with the Mod3) is a bit of a pain with the new amp. Thinking about a Joule LAT 100 MkIII. In the past I've matched tube pre's with ss power amps and was pleased with the results. You can do quite a bit with tube rolling using this combination and go a little bit crazy with NOS tubes without breaking the bank.

Cornfed- Thanks for the info on your system and audio experiences with ss. I certainly have a greater understanding and appreciation of your point of reference. Though our equipment preferences differ, we do share the same passion. That's what makes this hobby- or addiction?- so interesting.

Pardon my topic drift and let me ask the tube enthusiasts a question: I love the purity, clarity and focus of my Pass X-150. If I wanted to try a tube amp in my system (driving Spendor SP1/2) and did not want to stray far from these characteristics that I love, what would you recommend I give a listen to?