Tubes vs Solid State

I have to vary slightly from the others. The ML 23.5 and 20.6 are still to this day, two of the very best amps I have heard. I have heard others from Mark Levinson after the company was sold and I wasn't greatly impressed. Howevedr, the two mentioned? Well...wonderful.

enjoy

Different cables: Audioquest Redwood 2013 bi-wire loudspeakercable. Pure silver for high/mid, pure copper for low freq. This cable gives the best blacks I have heard sofar by any loudspeakercable. It gives the intimate sound as I experienced as in real. I owned the Nordost Valhalla for 12 years. The Redwood is even better in speed and drive compared to the Valhalla. I use most Purist Audio power cables like the 2013 LE. Interconnects: Acapella xlr pure silver and Audioquest Sky pure silver. I have a Pass Labs X250.5 poweramp ( upgrade to 600.5 will be next amps)

Wow.. Bo1972,
No wonder! They must be good to compare difference gears.

What speakers do you use? It seems that you've found your last speakers.

Do you prefer SS preamp to match with SS power amps? Whether SS or tube, they must be musical with all these masterpieces. If you prefer SS preamp, do you think your listening preference is more analytic side?

I thought that Threshold amps sound more natural and truer than Proceed HPA2 or AMP2. While Threshold blows the sound (more live performance), Proceed delineate the sound in the wider and cleaner sound stage. HPA2 sounds more palpable, beautiful, and delicate, but Threshold sounds more musically satisfying with higher and lower sound extensions. I get some headache with HPA2 because I tend to watch (rather than hearing) and analyze sound images and the brain gets tired easily. I don't know about ML sound. Is HPA2 sound more or less like ML's?

Nowadays, I am very happy with the Jolida glass tube dac (Upgraded, Telefunken tubes), Dared all tube preamp (all Brimar tubes), and Cary tube amp (all Brimar tubes). Tube gears are more musical and satisfying without headache or tiredness.

I am sorry for many questions!
Thanks!

No problem. I had the XP-20 for 2 years of time. These days I use A Onkyo PR-SC5509 with Audyssey Pro. And now comes the key factor. I do a lot Onkyo since 3 years. I have done many tests with Audyssey. Since one year I am also a pro installer. I am additced to music since I was 6. At that age I had my own Philips big tape recorder with tubes. I sarted early. I am in audio since 1998. I have worked for 8 years in audio speciality shops. But these days I do consulting in sound and vision. I love the freedom it gives. I have a photographic memory what makes audio a lot ebtter to understand. I can see 3-4 steps further than other people can in this business. I measure at total different places and hights compared to the Audyssey way. This is superior in dynamics, resolution and focus. There way is ok but not convincing. You loose too much dynamics. I have done a lot of tests to improve it. Audyssey is a lot more than solving acoustic problems. This is only 1/3 of the whole system. I use it from highend audio point of view. 6 months ago I was the absolute sound with my own system at a big audio show. To be unnest it was very easy to blow away the rest. Most distrinuters do not have the knowledge and only use the stuff they sell. What make the PR_SC with my measurement different? More dynamic and more speed. ( even compared to the XP-20 I had before) My stage is wider and deeper than the XP-20. My individual focus of instruments and voices is sharper. Cause of solving the acoustic problems of the room there is so much more music and authority. Without you normally will get a lot of issues. Even in the high freq. I have more information. Like I said before; words endings at ss, ttt and th had never been this open and clear. At the audio show I visited many other sets. Which were inferior in speed, depth, resolution, 3-dimensional focus, blacks etc. Shop owners came to me and saud: we never heard this level before. I use the Pl-200 from Monitor Audio and there PLW-15 sub. With my measurement I have the stealth integration of a sub I Always dreamed of. This sub is a lot better in speed and respons compared to Rel and Velodyne. I have a freq range now from 16hz till above 100.000 hz. And I can play at an extrme level without stress. ( pl-200 can play till about 118db spl)

There is no VS there both great if you spend big bucks!!