Survey: Tube pre/SS amp, vice versa, or same?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Rick58, Dec 5, 2021.

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  1. Rick58

    Rick58 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Eagle, ID, USA
    Title says it all I think …

    CHANGED to allow multiple votes. I have a SS pre that feeds a SS amp/speakers from balanced output, and a Tube amp/speakers from the single ended output.

    Integrated amps could have any combo so … I guess choose one. Passive pre counts as SS I think unless it has a tube buffer?
     
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2021
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  2. Khorn

    Khorn Dynagrunt Obversarian

    Great. You did it.

    I’ve never experienced better performance from my speakers than I am now after returning to a good tube pre and great SS power amp. I don’t know why I waited so long to do it.
     
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  3. Davey

    Davey NP: Hania Rani/Dobrawa Czocher ~ Inner Symphonies

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    All tubes for me. I use a tube preamp (single monolithic triode, no loop feedback, no electrolytic capacitors except heater power supply, teflon film capacitors, relay switched Vishay resistor volume control) into a tube amplifier with EL34 triode output stage, just enough feedback to keep output impedance down, no electrolytic capacitors except heater power supply, teflon, polystyrene and polypropylene film capacitors.
     
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  4. Oddiofyl

    Oddiofyl Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston
    When I had my SS pre Tube amp combo I think it was the preamp that made me not warm up to that combo.

    That amp had a bad transformer, which was no longer available so I bought a SS amp. It was temporary as I wanted another tube amp but I found out down the road it was the pre that was the bottleneck. So it really doesn’t matter if it’s tube or SS. How does it sound it really more important
     
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  5. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    I voted for tube preamp / solid state amp BUT to get a quality tube experience the preamp needs to be a very good one and preferably with a tube rectifier.
     
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  6. Khorn

    Khorn Dynagrunt Obversarian

    I’m concentrating on the rectifier search now. Waiting to see what goodies may appear.
     
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  7. aunitedlemon

    aunitedlemon Unity is in the pith.

    Location:
    Oregon
    "Both SS" is all I know- for now...
     
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  8. tIANcI

    tIANcI Wondering when the hifi madness will end

    Location:
    Malaysia
    Cary Audio SLP-05 :D
     
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  9. jonwoody

    jonwoody Tragically Unhip

    Location:
    Washington DC
    All tubes Deja Vu custom preamp with six 6922 tubes and a Deja Vu custom pushpull 2a3 stereo amp. Tubes in the Dac too I just can't seem to escape them. ;)
     
  10. BrentB

    BrentB Urban Angler

    Location:
    Midwestern US
    Not an easy question for me. Of the 3 systems I have set up they are a pretty much blended.
    1. SS pre, Tube amp, tube phono amp
    2. Tube pre, amp, phono
    3. Tube pre, amp, SS phono.
    Of course any changes will be an elimination of SS for a tube unit.
     
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  11. Salectric

    Salectric Senior Member

    Location:
    Maryland
    All tubes for me. DAC, phono preamp, linestage, power amps, even my FM tuner. They’re all tube.

    If someone really wants SS in the amplification chain for some reason, the easiest way is with a tube linestage. Modern linestages are compatible with nearly all transistor power amps. That will give a taste of tubes. A tube power amp will usually make a bigger improvement in sound quality than a tube preamp, but there’s a catch. Tube power amps are less universal in terms of compatibility with speakers. You aren’t going to use a 2 watt SET with Thiels or Wilsons to take an extreme example.
     
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  12. Rick58

    Rick58 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Eagle, ID, USA
    You can vote for more than one. I have SS pre feeding one of each …

    I guess if you have tube phono feeding SS pre and amp …? I’ll let you decide which to choose, more than 4 choices gets a little unwieldy!
     
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  13. I started with SS Receivers in the 70's. Digital came along and like a lot of us I started to looking at tubes to tame that early digital glare. It started for me with a CAL Alpha tube DAC. A short time later, in came a tube Pre-Amp. The tube power arrived 6 months later. I've been very content with my system's for many many years. I still use the Alpha in a 2nd system!
     
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  14. TheVinylAddict

    TheVinylAddict Look what I found

    Location:
    AZ
    I wonder how many people that voted have spent enough time with all four options to vote from experience, or voted by their personal choice they made (without trying other options).

    No matter.... I am surprised at 54% of people are using a tube pre and SS amp --- maybe the bulk of the voters on the poll are folks who employ tubes somewhere... I would have expected SS votes to dominate, as my feeling is that's the majority of folks in the forum. I don't think there are only 15% here running SS pre and amp!
     
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  15. Khorn

    Khorn Dynagrunt Obversarian

    I guess at one point or another I’ve run everything except an SS preamp running a tube power amp. I believe now I’ve struck the perfect balance for me anyway.
     
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  16. jonwoody

    jonwoody Tragically Unhip

    Location:
    Washington DC
    Well only 58 people have voted of the thousands on this forum and I am guessing the poll is a bit self selecting to folks who use tubes somewhere in their system.
     
  17. bever70

    bever70 Let No-one Live Rent Free in Your Head!

    Location:
    Belgium
    Well I guess all these SS users just don't vote because I don't expect that too many of them have tried tubes and the poll is about what one 'prefers' ?! I am all SS as well but haven't tried tubes yet so I feel I can't vote if that makes any sense...
     
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  18. Tony Plachy

    Tony Plachy Senior Member

    Location:
    Pleasantville, NY
    I just took the survey and I am tube pre, SS amp. I too was surprised that this the majority of the votes and that all tube is 40% which is what I use to run. I agree with you that the title of the thread is probably attracting tube users. So far there on only 58 replies and some of those are people with multiple systems. That is a very small sample given he membership here.

    As to why I switched from all tubes to an SS amp, the bass made me do it. :winkgrin:
     
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  19. Khorn

    Khorn Dynagrunt Obversarian

    Nice system. Might be interesting what kind of light a tube pre might cast on the sound. Ever think of giving it a try?
     
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  20. bever70

    bever70 Let No-one Live Rent Free in Your Head!

    Location:
    Belgium
    Absolutely, it will probably be my next move but I'm in no hurry. I have a dealer who will let me try some stuff if I decide to go for it.
     
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  21. Khorn

    Khorn Dynagrunt Obversarian

    Good. Trying in your own system is really the only way to find out.
    Great you have an accommodating dealer.
     
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  22. Rick58

    Rick58 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Eagle, ID, USA
    Oh well, I tried. I guess the title could be changed, how does one contact the moderators and ask them to do it?
     
  23. Tony Plachy

    Tony Plachy Senior Member

    Location:
    Pleasantville, NY
    I would leave the title as is. Part of the problem is there are so many members who only come here for only the Music Corner. They are never going to see the thread no matter what you titled it.
     
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  24. mreeter

    mreeter Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kansas City
    I cast for 'Both Tube' as I have both ;) along with a tube DAC and Phono Stage. I find transparency very addictive:)
     
    Last edited: Dec 6, 2021
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  25. Tony C.

    Tony C. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portugal
    Recently switched to a Circle Labs A200 hybrid integrated, and all of my previous amps (more than a few over ~40 years) have been SS.

    I can comfortably say that this is the best I've ever owned, but it may not be due solely to the tube linestage pre-amp.
     
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