chriswhotakesphotos Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Hi, friends! Thanks to a shift in the global economy, upscale luxury items are trending their way downmarket. BMW's entry level models are cheaper. Nordstrom Rack exists. And Schiit makes tube preamps that cost as much as a pair of Ray Bans. The majority of impressions I can read about their tube headphone amps (as well as almost anything else they make) are glowing. And although they all have pre-outs, almost nobody acknowledges them for this. Of course, I'd like to try it out. I've heard plenty about the effectiveness of Klipsch speakers with tube sound, and lacking the financial will or patience to pursue a tube amp, pairing an affordable tube pre with my current amp seems like a fine compromise. Has anyone used or heard one of Schiit's tube amps as a preamp? Thanks! (And while we're here, what are a few things a tube newb should know? How do you tell when they're due for replacement or being overdriven?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Hi Chris, I never realized Schiit made tube products. There are a lot of tube junkies here which spend a lot of time over at the all about tubes section of the forum. You may want to ask the mods to move this over there, so you get more attention. I say if the price is low enough, knowing Schiit makes a good product, I would go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube fanatic Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 You may want to ask the mods to move this over there, so you get more attention. Excellent idea. You can PM any of the mods or Chad and they will move it for you. I'll reserve comment until it's over there! Maynard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 OK Maynard, comment away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube fanatic Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 The big question is what you don't like about the sound of your current equipment and what you expect a tube preamp to do. The amp itself exerts the greatest influence on the sound. While adding a tube preamp may take some of the edge off (personally, I've always found Adcom equipment to sound very bright, especially with Klipsch speakers), it may not make all that much difference in the overall sound. If you decide to try one, I'd go for the Valhalla 2. The company makes a very definite point about trying it out for 15 days and, if you don't like it, you can return it for only a 5% loss. Seems like a very good inducement to me. Where in NJ are you located?Maynard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswhotakesphotos Posted May 11, 2016 Author Share Posted May 11, 2016 (edited) Maynard, I suppose I'm more curious than anything. My Adcom preamp doesn't sound bad or displeasurable to me in any way. I see what you mean about brightness as well, though I'll say it's been a non-issue since moving from Synergy to Reference Premiere. Things could be less bright, but it's never gratingly so. I've been a bit convinced of the effect of a preamp's sound since trying out an Adcom surround processor, as a matter of fact. It wasn't bad in any way that someone could complain about, but it was brighter and more digital-sounding. It's being traded off soon for a 7ch amp, and I've been back to my stereo pre. I suppose I'm most interested in the allure of tube sound. They say tubes are typically warmer, which I expect should balance well with the treble-forwardness I've been hearing. My expectation is that a tube preamp would, in theory, be a good compromise between cost and getting a bit of that mysterious "tube sound." Edited May 11, 2016 by chriswhotakesphotos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswhotakesphotos Posted May 11, 2016 Author Share Posted May 11, 2016 Oh, and I'm located in South Jersey, or "near Philadelphia" as we call it. Why do you ask? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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