sherman1125 Posted August 7, 2003 Share Posted August 7, 2003 Hello all. I have read this forum from time to time over the past year and noted that many of you run tube gear. Will a tube pre-amp and amp make that much of a difference in the sound quality or is it more of a percieved change? My gear consists of: Rega Planet 2000 cd Acurus RL-11 Pre-amp McCormack DNA-125 amp LaScala's and Revel M-20's for speakers I don't belive tube gear would run the Revels well. I swap out between the Klipsch and Revels at odd, long intervals. If the tube gear makes that much of a difference then I might consider selling the Revels. Thank you. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted August 7, 2003 Share Posted August 7, 2003 Just read a post about that DNA amp of yours. Sounds pretty fine. Tubers here are a pretty opinionated bunch. Include me. I wouldn't go back for 2-channel, but enjoy the bells and whistles of 5.1 solid state. Two different animals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted August 7, 2003 Share Posted August 7, 2003 Hi John, Welcome to the forum. Your question is interesting as to whether tubes make that much of a difference or is perceived. Now, my understanding is a layman's take on things, but it seems to me that the amount of difference would depend on the quality of your solid state. Looks like you've got some pretty good gear. If you like the way it sounds, on your La Scalas, then it's really good. I decided to check out tubes out of dissatisfaction with the sound of my setup after I got La Scalas. Tubes have made a world of difference to my ears. One thing about checking out tube gear, if you shop carefully and buy good used gear on Ebay or Audiogon, you can recover your investment if you decide you want to resell a particular item. There are other folks on this forum who could make some good suggestions for what kind of tube Preamp would complement to your system if that's the way you want to go. A tube integrated is a possibility for alot of bang for the buck, too. Most of all have fun. It's all about enjoying the music. Regards, Dee p.s. since you've been reading posts here for a while, then you already know that your Rega CD is highly regarded with tubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted August 7, 2003 Share Posted August 7, 2003 i went through a series of different solid state amps over the past several years for my main channels (center and surrounds have stayed constant with my pioneer elite receiver).... moving from a carver tfm-25 (225 watts per channel) to a dynaco tube amplifier (17.5 watts per channel) was like night and day.... much improved two channel sound and awesome sound in my 5.1 system.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted August 7, 2003 Share Posted August 7, 2003 Yep. I had a Yamaha MX-1 with a CX-1 pre-amp with Chorus II's. When I tried a Eico HF-12 tube integrated mono amp on one Chorus II, and one side of the Yamaha amp on the other Chorus II, they had a sound pretty much the same. The Eico had better sound at lower levels, more open. The Yamaha gear then was sold. I wished I could have kept the amp and pre however, it was nice. Enjoy, your hooked on Klipsch and tubes now, trust me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg928gts Posted August 7, 2003 Share Posted August 7, 2003 I had the same kind of experience as minn_male42, in that I went from a 200 wpc McIntosh to a 3 wpc SET tube amp and noticed a big difference in midrange sound quality, smoothness, and detail. I still switch wires around and crank the McIntosh though. Why not keep both sets of speakers and put the SS amp on the Revels, and a tube amp on the horns? One can never have too much of this great gear, can they? Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted August 7, 2003 Share Posted August 7, 2003 ---------------- On 8/7/2003 8:12:37 PM sherman1125 wrote: Will a tube pre-amp and amp make that much of a difference in the sound quality or is it more of a percieved change? ---------------- What's the difference? fini Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted August 7, 2003 Share Posted August 7, 2003 I loved the sound of my SS with my klipsch but got into tubes out of curiosity. I'll never go back. The change was both real and perceived. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 I'm with Fini here -- if it's perceived as "different", then it is -- and real as real can be. What is the sensitivity rating of the Revel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBryan Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 If you're looking to hear the difference between SS and tubes, a good tube preamp is a wonderful idea and if you're willing to try used gear, you won't have to spend a lot of $ to try it out. There are a lot of tube pres out there that will match the rest of your system. You should first try to determine what sound you're looking for compared to what you already have. Do you want your sound to be more open, warmer, detailed, quieter? If you like the sound of your present pre and just want to hear the difference of tubes in your system, then you might try to borrow a pre or get a loaner from a dealer. If all else fails, you can often find a nice pre on the used market and if you don't like what you hear, you can get most of what you paid back. Have fun, Bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 Yes, a tube pre-amplifier and power amplifier will make a very noticeable and measurable difference in the amount and quality of the sound created by your ultra-sensitive big old horns. You will hear immediately the difference in the bass response, the mid-range and the treble. You may or may NOT like the difference. But I will bet a donut at Dunkins that many, if NOT all, of the features of your big old horns that eventually wear out your ears, will dissipate when you switch to a tube front end. The bass will change the most. The frequency response may reflect more of the loudspeaker impedance curve than it did previously. The mid-range will defiantly improve. Modest priced tube amplifiers can rival expensive solid-state amplifiers in the mid-range. The treble and the imaging should improve. It may even sparkle. The lead singer should be more distinct, and separated more from the other instruments. Significant differences? Perhaps. Maybe, as Stereophiles John Atkinson says, only a different difference. A powerful subwoofer, like the very deep SVS tubes or the very punchy Klipsch RSW series, will also make a significant and measurable difference in your music and movie reproduction system. In fact, I believe that the two go together like steak and potatoes. Once you have the tubes, you may want a powerful sub to bolster the low end. Heck, you should probably have a powerful sub anyway: most full range loudspeakers need support in the low bass region. I would check out the integrated amplifiers NOSvalues offers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherman1125 Posted August 8, 2003 Author Share Posted August 8, 2003 The Revels are 87 db efficient. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherman1125 Posted August 8, 2003 Author Share Posted August 8, 2003 I don't believe I've ever read anywhere that tubes give a better bottom end. I don't have a tube seller anywhere near me (Va Beach, Va)so finding a good one on eBay or Audiogon will be difficult as I don't have any direction to go. I do thank all of you for you replies so far. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherman1125 Posted August 8, 2003 Author Share Posted August 8, 2003 Colin what kind of differnce was there when you placed the heavy tiles on your speakers? Do you have a picture of them posted somewhere for viewing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 I have now heard 3 different tube set-ups with cornwalls. All were very different sounding. The scott is very bright and detailed, a little choppy compared to the other 2 with enough low-end punch to satisfy. Has center channel for sub if you really like wall shaking bass in your 2-channel set-up. To me it sounds more like the musicians are in the room with you than the others. The 8 watt SET amp was more pure and the music really flowed nicely. Less detailed highs than the scott and not much bass punch or headroom to speak of. The Mac 240/110 combo was the warmest of the 3. Very dynamic with extreme bass punch and mega-headroom but lacked the detailed highs of the scott. Less choppy than the scott and flowed nicely but not as well as the SET. Tube rolling can change some of these issues I'm sure but those are my observations and they are fairly recent and still fresh in my head. Edit: I don't know if choppy is the right word to use since I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. Not as flowing but more separation of instruments as they come in. Anyone know what I'm trying to say here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burtlively Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 yes. tubes will blow your mind! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssh Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 If you want more detail with your LAS,there is no question but that tube amplification will benefit your listening experience.Craig could get you started with a very reasonable initial investment in a Scott integrated amp.The cost-per-grin is very low. ssh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherman1125 Posted August 8, 2003 Author Share Posted August 8, 2003 Who is Craig? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 ---------------- On 8/8/2003 11:12:13 PM sherman1125 wrote: Who is Craig? ---------------- Good question! lol Craig's business is called NOSValves. He rebuilds tube amps mostly for forum members. He specializes in HH Scott amps but works on just about anything. You buy from ebay, have it shipped directly to Craig in Michigan and for a very reasonable price he performs his magical rebuild and you have an awesome sounding tube amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac_daddy Posted August 9, 2003 Share Posted August 9, 2003 I got into tubes recently by buying a modded JoLida 302a. I won't ever go back to solid state. But I will be building one of those SVS tubes, and modding the amp to output to a powered sub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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