Jump to content

Tube amp versus Hybrid??? SS versus Valves?


Fido

Recommended Posts

I have an ma252 Hybrid Mcintosh Integrated amp and its beautiful and sounds really good. I have always wondered about running my Fortes with a pure Tube amp so I decided to go to Upscale Audio and check out the Primaluna Line of Integrated amps they sell. I was hoping that i would hear a subtle difference in the Tube Amp but was actually quite surprised at how amazing the Primaluna Evo 400 sounded. This is Primaluna's newest Integrated and replaces the highly acclaimed Dialogue Premium HP.  I listened thru a set of Tannoy speakers and WOW they sounded great. I could see having those speakers even though I'm a huge fan of the Klipsch Forte in your face live sound.

 

I now am obsessed with the Primaluna Amp - WOW!!!! WOW!!!! i just want to hear it in my living room spinning some vinyl or streaming from Tidal. Very impressive and surprised that the overall sound of those tubes created such deep bass and incredible midrange.

 

For those that have played your Fortes or other Klipsch speakers thru a good tube amp did you feel anything missing from not having a SS Power Amp?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For me anyway
I have owned over 200 Klipsch speakers over the years. First set of Cornwall’s at age 14. I’ve never been the financially upper guy through the years and have mostly used re owned gear. I’ve used everything from $20 Yamaha amps to 10k krell amps and hand made tube and store bought amps and every Klipsch speaker I’ve had just sounded so much better with tubes in the chain of things
The mids sound so much warmer and that’s even more so with female voices in the songs. Right now I have a pair of Aria WT-100 Hibyrd tube amps hooked up to my H1’s
These amps belong to a friend of mine and I’m using them and doing a tune up on them for him so that’s the only way I’d ever have something like these in my house. Way over my pay grade. Lol
And I’ve used way to many pro amps as well
They sound great as well
But to me the tubes just bring out the soul of Klipsch speakers that’s hard to explain
Good luck


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, jimjimbo said:

There's no "e" in Klipsch......

 

Try a Mcintosh MC240.  You will forget all about the Primaluna.

Thanks for correcting me on the spelling of Klipsch - lucky they didn't ban me from the Klipsch insiders club - lol - profile spell checked now

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Bosco-d-gama said:

Have you tried high end solid state? After $$$$$ tube rolling I went with Accuphase SS and never looked back. Upscale (Kevin Deal) loves tubes cuz he loves selling tubes.

the best amp I have ever owned is the MA252 - I'd say its mid fi very well executed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Picked up the EVO 400 yesterday and got it up and running late last night. The Fortes i have were my fathers and he bought them in 1986. My dad passed away 15 plus years ago and I inherited them and upgraded the crossovers and the tweeters. They have been run by an NAD separate amp and various AVRs and my last amp the MA252 Mcintosh integrated. All i can say  is until last night I had no clue how amazing those speakers could sound with a great tube amp and the Primaluna fits that bill. Nirvana for my ears! WOW!!!!!!!!! - Totally different listening experience - really really quite amazing.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Fido said:

Its silver and I am so STOKED!!!!!! Freaking sounds amazing - Klipsch and tubes are like peanut butter and jelly

Tubes and Horns!

 

This is exactly why you can't listen with a scope. A flat response curve stops being flat the second the sound leaves the speaker. As sound bounces around the room, it gets colored. Flat amps and speakers aren't tuned to interact with these secondary colorations. Tubes and horns have been tuned, over decades, to interact with their surroundings closer to the way live sound does. Try graphing live music, it won't be a flat response curve. Source and processing equipment should be neutral because they feed signal, amps and speakers are going to place the music in the room. Tubes literally push electrons across open space, like sound waves across a room, to be formed into music. And horns are literally mechanical amplifiers, like the throat of a saxophone or a singer's mouth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For what it's worth ,Mac tube and klipsch are a magical pair indeed !! I have all tube (Mac mc275  and c2300) pr with my klipsch LaScala II ,WOW enough said !!, go check out audio classics my friend . See your in OC ,I'm retired firefighter /paramedic from that area !! Good luck .image.jpeg.2359c19ce58e8f991da28c32c853641d.jpeg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...
On 5/2/2021 at 2:57 AM, Angiedelsur said:

Hi,

 

I have a PrimaLuna EVO 200 with Dynaudio special 40. I wonder if I should change for an Mcintosh ma 252.

Can you tell me your opinions please ?

 

Have a great day,

 

Regards,

 

Agnès

The ma252 was very nice and sounded and looked great. My EVO 400 made me forget all about the ma252 and I can not see myself ever going that hybrid route again. It probably is system dependent but the EVO 400 is just more pleasing to my ears in every way in my space and with my speakers and current setup.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"In fact, there is a more scientific explanation as to why a driven tube preamp is more pleasing than the sound of solid state transistors. 

As a tube creates distortion it produces harmonics which are known as ‘even harmonics’. Essentially these are tones which are the same note but are produced higher in octaves. This is why typically a tube amplifier is said to sound better, because the harmonics it produces are much more pleasing to the user’s ear."

 

https://producerhive.com/ask-the-hive/tube-vs-solid-state-preamps/

 

The article goes om to say that SS pre-amps are prone to odd order harmonics, may be why we see Integrateds with a Tube Pre and SS amp stage

Also tube rectifiers are inferior

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...