I have to agree with Mechans !
I have auditioned different combinations of SS and tubed equipment . If you want to know what tubes sound like you have to do the amp AND the pre ! I have and do suggest that if one wants to experiment , just get a decent integrated and try it . You will probably spend about the same amount and get a TRUE feel for what tubes can do for the presentation .
Once you do that you can then tailor the sound to your particular taste and partnering equipment by rolling the tubes .
For me , tubes bring a sense of life to the music . Something that I have not been able to find with SS equipment costing multiples of my little integrated . And some these SS components are considered to be warm with a
"tube like" sound . But they had no heart ! It is hard for me to describe what tubes do . I could not describe it to the various dealers that I talked to . But when I heard that first all tube presentation I knew that it was what I had been looking for .
Different strokes for different folks !
Good luck .
I have auditioned different combinations of SS and tubed equipment . If you want to know what tubes sound like you have to do the amp AND the pre ! I have and do suggest that if one wants to experiment , just get a decent integrated and try it . You will probably spend about the same amount and get a TRUE feel for what tubes can do for the presentation .
Once you do that you can then tailor the sound to your particular taste and partnering equipment by rolling the tubes .
For me , tubes bring a sense of life to the music . Something that I have not been able to find with SS equipment costing multiples of my little integrated . And some these SS components are considered to be warm with a
"tube like" sound . But they had no heart ! It is hard for me to describe what tubes do . I could not describe it to the various dealers that I talked to . But when I heard that first all tube presentation I knew that it was what I had been looking for .
Different strokes for different folks !
Good luck .