Jump to content

Tubes: Amp or Preamp, choose one only...


Mallette

Recommended Posts

Love SET, and heard a couple of great ones on my system. Wonderful on jazz, chamber, etc. Pipe organ? No way. The owners of these noted that immediately without my help. SET isn't any good for anyone who listens to that last octave.

Dave

Wrong !..... Have you ever heard of Bi-Amping ? I have 600 watt per channel amps on my Bass Bins. And 1.8 watts of 45 SET amps on my Horns and Tweeters.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But wouldn't there be a difference, however subtle, between the P-P bass, and the SET mid and treble, in the character and timbre of the music?

Yes, but it depends on how you implement things. I've tried a rather colorful SE paired with a dry ss on woofs crossed ~800hz, and that's the sort of case where the character mismatch is obvious. Had similar experience with fools bi-amped fortes, whose woofs extend well into the midrange, and prefer them with the same character top to bottom. Folks with 402's and big bass bins crossed lower are in much better shape with regards to this, IMO, as they get the SE sweetness over a larger band, and the bass control and power down where it's really needed, and also where our ears are much less sensitive to such subtle differences.

Edited by Ski Bum
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I recently had a chance to buy one of the finest tube preamps made for a very good price. I had to pass due to my legs being stuck in so much solid state seperates gear. I have several integrated tube amps and find them to be very good, some american some chinese and one chinese modded locally in america. All that said and i have had experience with friends seperates tube gear i pull strongly for quality integrated tube amps that are done well.

Tube pre on solid state which i dont find many others doing other than hybrids is very nice as well.

So my choice is tube pre although integrated tube done well is very nice, just a little heavy and big

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The hybrid integrated amps I've either listened to (i.e., Vincent) or read about seem to put tubes in the pre- and SS in the power amp stages. The explanation I've heard is to get the sound of tubes while also retaining the "slam" of SS in the bass. This approach seems common.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have 3 systems. Two are tube preamp and s/s amps..........and one is full tubes, a Scott tube integrated.

I have had tube amps and really enjoyed them. It got to be a practicality issue with so many amps..........the tube maintenance was just not practical for me. Is everything working right? When do you change the tubes? Is a tube going bad? How do you know? Plus the cost of the tubes.

I found old McIntosh first generation s/s amps that sound "tubey" and invested in having them rebuilt, and paired them with tube preamps. Best move I ever made. No maintenance and tube sound.

But.........I am also going back to tube amps for "something to do".....and enjoy. I am ramping up a bench and one thing I have now is a tube tester now. I am going to start building some of those kit amps for learning and enjoyment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...