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Tubes - First Time Listener


easyeyes

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Finally, I was able to listen to some tubes for the first time and I am thoroughly impressed. I went to a Hi-Fi show down in London on Friday. I cannot remember the the speaker name but they had a single 10-inch speaker with a price tag of $9,000 plus. The playing device was a combination CD player and preamp in once case called a Capitole CD Player and the amps were 40w class A prestige monoblocks. Needless to say this was top of the line but the sound was awesome. My friend and I spent a lot of time in that room. Now, I better understand all the hype of tube technology. I haven't heard as many systems as some people, but in my short listening span, this was the best music that I've heard. Chalk up one who is leaning toward tubes.

EE

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Malcolm,

At a high-end show like this, every speaker that I listened to was extremely expensive. Listening to speakers equal to or higher in price played through solid state sounded good, but the tube sound was different in a better way to me. The sound wasn't as fatiguing to the ears.

EE

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I cannot remember the name of the speakers, it wasn't not a common name. Was it a Lowther design, I'm not sure? When you go to shows like this every rep ensures that the point out the pieces of the system and the cost of each item. That info was volunteered, I usually would not ask questions such as this. I looked through all of the literature that I picked up from the show and I did not see a mention of the speakers.

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I am stumped !

Probably just another attempt by you Limies to keep us Colonials in place. 8~)>

No need to get the old knickers in a twist dear boy as I am from a veddy British background - (Born in the Blitz while Herr Schickelgruber was attempting to bomb London back into the Stone Age). In any event the bogger damned near did me in. But that is another story!

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It is meet to recall that the Great Green Heron rarely flies upside down in the moonlight - (Foo Ling ca.1900)

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Did they look like either of the single Lowther driver horn loaded speakers shown at the following sites?

http://www.carfrae.com/

http://www.beauhorn.com/

Has anyone on this BB auditioned a single Lowther driver horn loaded speaker? The concept of eliminating the X-over is interesting. IMHO the cost of the Carfrae and Beahorn versions is exhorbitant no matter how good they might sound.

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Manuel, for that price of $1400, you can find many fully tube integrateds that would more than likely be more musical than this hybrid offering. Also, I dont think this unit used as a preamp would compete with other dedicated tube preamps. I think you got a chance to hear some tubes in a system and heard the magic; I too, went with the tube preamp/solid state amp combo in the 80s for quite a while. But the switch to a fully tube system is almost light years above causing me to sell over $2000 in solid state monoblocks without much of a thought. Why not take the total leap with a fully tube system as the SS amp seems a big compromise to me, especially since I have never found any of the hybrids to equal the sonic splender of a good tube system, this with either tubes in the pre or power section. A passive volume in the pre section with tubes in the amp can be an acceptable compromise. Once you hear a fully tube system, I think you will hear the difference, especially with Heritage Klipsch.

kh

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Phono Linn Sondek LP-12 Valhalla / Linn Basic Plus / Sumiko Blue Point

CD Player Rega Planet

Preamp Cary Audio SLP-70 w/Phono Modified

Amplifier Welborne Labs 2A3 Moondog Monoblocks

Cable DIYCable Superlative / Twisted Cross Connect

Speaker 1977 Klipsch Cornwall I w/Alnico & Type B Crossover

Links system one online / alternate components / Asylum Listing f>s>

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Mobile, thanks for your advice. I need to tell you that I have listened to pure tube gear and that the sound is almost the same. This is not the typical Hybrid, I think. In fact the same day I listened to pure tubes, this integrated and a SS. This last one was simply horrible compared to the all tube's, but this hybrid gave, so to speak, 90% of the sound of the pure tube gear at a much affordable price.

Of course, I agree with you in the sense that I can do still better with an all tube solution, but the ones I really want are out of my league for the moment.

In conclusion, I don't know which Hybrids have you listened, but I can assure you, this one is a jewel.

This message has been edited by Manuel on 09-16-2002 at 04:34 PM

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Has anyone heard of a tube preamp called the "seer"? I talked to this rep at the show and was told that they are very popular in the states. I've done some searching on the net and I haven't seen a review of it yet. The selling price is about 1,000 british pound, dollar equivalent should put it around 1,500.

EE

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