loudandclear Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 Was wondering what makes more difference in sound reproduction,the pre-amp or the amp when using separates? If its the pre can I pair a tube pre with a Adcom 555 and get good results? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 (edited) I think we had this discussion very recently with varying points put forward... most would agree, an amplifier should only amplify the signal and not impart a signature. for me... the pre makes a bigger differnce unless that difference is a detracting influence... then the amplifier makes a bigger difference because it is detracting from the experience. just my humble O Edited April 27, 2014 by Schu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssh Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 If I were moving to tubes, and I could only budget one piece of gear at a time, I would get a tube pre first. The second question would then be one you could answer. SSH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beeker Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Interesting topic...i hope it gets attention by many because i too have interest with the same situation... A pre amp is the formula to produce sound. The amplifier produces power therefore your answer is a tube pre will yield hybrid results.. It is truly in the eye(or ear) in the beholder...what you find may not be what another prefers and vise versa... I have used the hybrid tube scenario with tube pre and solid state pre to solid state amp and tupe amplifier... It does work although once again is your choice and what you conceive can possibly provide the ultimate match in sound/noise reproduction. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 I have no opinion since my only tube gear is a hybird integrated amp. SS in the rear and tube in the front. I would like to see all the comments on this thread over the next few days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beeker Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 I used my mc20 with a crown xls2500 out of curiosity and was certainly satisfied. Thats a fairly drastic match from such a refined vintage tube pre with a very powerful d class pro poweramp although the mating ritual as it was happened to be pure and nothing less than perfect...in my opinion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Blacksmith Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 This was discussed not all that long ago. The Pre has more affect on the signal "flavor" the amp just bumps up what the pre did. I am using tubes on both but have had tube to SS and there was not near the difference as going the other way round. YMMV! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 (edited) Was wondering what makes more difference in sound reproduction,the pre-amp or the amp when using separates? If its the pre can I pair a tube pre with a Adcom 555 and get good results? Thanks. In my experience, it depends: what loudspeaker types are you driving [horns or direct radiators], where are they located in your room, what are the dimensions of your room (length, width and height), how loud do you typically listen to them, and what kind of music that you typically listen to the most. The typical answers to these questions (with the possible exception of "what loudspeaker types...") is that you will probably hear more difference using tube amplifiers with high output impedance (such as single-ended triode topologies without feedback) more than you will hear a tube pre-amplifier, unless the tube amplifier that you are using has a great deal of harmonic distortion of the second or third harmonic variety. I once heard a Juicy Music Peach II swapped in and out ( blind A-B ) with a SS preamp of fair quality while driving Jubilees: the difference was pretty small and sounded like the Peach II had a bit higher slew rate ("speed") and a bit more transparency than the SS preamp. However, the difference using SET-type amplifiers and Jubs has been much greater in my experience: they introduce a "depth" or reverb effect of special characteristics - sort of like a dipole loudspeaker adds depth to a recording, artificially. Chris Edited April 29, 2014 by Chris A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Technically, the preamp would have to have a low enough output impedance to drive the power amplifier correctly. Most power amps have a lower input impedance than tube amps. If mismatched, you could get more roll off on the bass end of things. Certain tube preamps use a cathode follower, transformer or other method to lower their output impedance to better match the SS gear. Going the other way will work fine (SS pre into a tube power amp) Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_Guy Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 I have no experience with either a tube amp or tube pre-amp, I use a separate amp and processor neither of them being tube, however I recently added a tube DAC and it was probably one of the nicest musical upgrades I have made to my system. The MHDT Havana NOS tube DAC sounds absolutely wonderful, it has such beautiful musical warmth yet more detail than I have ever heard before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tilnot Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 I'm currently using a tube integrated amp and I love it. I am using a S.S. phono preamp though. Like it was mentioned earlier it really depends on the speakers. I'm only using this as a 2 channel listening system, my home theater is all S.S. I used to run a S.S. amp with a tube preamp which was ok too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donkeyshins Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 I've done all SS, all tube, tube pre / SS power amp, and SS pre / tube power amp. The preferred setup in my system was SS pre / tube power. At the lower signal levels that preamplifiers operate at, it is easier to tame noise in solid state than tube. In a power amp, you are working with much higher signal levels and as such, the signal drowns out the noise. -D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beeker Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Quality pre either way...I still like integrated for reasons I have had explained to me although I do not understand...A bit easier at least... A good pre is the best point to start in any matter... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eth2 Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Was wondering what makes more difference in sound reproduction,the pre-amp or the amp when using separates? If its the pre can I pair a tube pre with a Adcom 555 and get good results? Thanks. There is some logic to apply here. Any losses to the signal can never be recovered. The most likely place for signal quality degradation is at the begininning of the chain. Thus, a big investment in a quality preamp preserves the maximum signal quality. This is especially, and extraordinarily TRUE if you plan to play vinyl. Mark, Don't confuse the discussion with facts and logic! We don't need no stinkin' facts and logic - it only screws up our arguments! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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