Ssssh, is your tube preamp really that quiet?

03-18-14: Charles1dad
Jmgrogan2,
You have your priorities in order and I happen to agree with your conclusion(while the music is playing). For the record my DHT tubed line stage is silent.
Charles,

Thank you Charles. For the record, the hiss I heard was through the built in MC phono stage on my Cary preamp while listening to LP's. Just for fun, I just repeated this test through the line stage, volume up, no music playing. I could still hear a hiss when I put my ear right up to the tweeter. Again, I don't really know what purpose this serves. It seems like useless information to me, but there it is.

Cheers,
John

Are you saying that without an SUT, all tube phono preamps will solicit some tube hiss when the gain is turned up and no music is playing?

Actually, all phono sections make noise. Tube units tend to make more, thus SUTs are more commonly used with tube phono sections.

I personally find that tubes are more musical, so even though its harder to make them be quiet, I much prefer them to solid state phono sections.

That's why I went complementary toplogy solid state. The only tubes which were sweet and quiet in my gear were Telefunken 6922's from the early sixties, specially selected for H/P. And good luck finding those - they cost the earth fifty years ago.

Manley Steelhead into Manley NeoClassic 250 monoblocks: dead quiet

I just purchased a Lector ZOE tube preamp. Dead quiet with stock tubes and I live in a high RFI area (one block from LAPD headquarters, 2 blocks from LA City Hall, cell repeaters within line of sight on the adjacent apt building).

I had a lot of problems beforehand especially when playing vinyl and now my problems are gone. It also has a fantastic soundstage.