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Which contributes most of the sound of tubes. I currently have a tube amp a AES 25 super amp with a SS B&K Pro 10MC preamp. I think this is a great sounding combo. I was wondering which contributes to the tube sound more, the preamp or amp? I have been thinking of purchasing a tube preamp to replace the MC10. I have tried a all tube combo in the past and was not fully convinced that all tube was they way to go. I felt all tube was a bit polite for my tastes. The preamp in use was a Precision Fidelity RM-5 preamp. Your thoughts please......
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I tend believe that the preamp is the heart of any system. IMO, the pre amp is most important.
Between the two, preamp or amp, a tube amp is most responsible for tube sound. And the single biggest factor(there are others) is not the tubes but the output transformers.
But a 211 amp sounds a lot different than a 300B amp, and if it doesn't then there is something wrong.
For any decently constructed amp, I agree that better OPTs will make a far bigger difference than rolling the power tube.
Observe, before you think. Think before you open your yap. Act on the basis of experience.
Of course different tube amps sound different. I didn't say they didn't. But there is a tube sound and a solid state sound for most gear in these categories. And a big factor is the affect of an output transformer on the interaction of amp and speaker. There is no question that the high output impedance of tube/transformer amps affects the frequency response of the amp. Just check the simulated speaker load curves in Stereophile tests.
have a bigger effect on the overall sound IME as an upstream component all things being equal. That is, drop a tube pre into a SS system and you'll get 70 % the tube sound. The amp/speaker interface will vary more with a tube amp so that can have a major effect on the sound with different speakers.
By denying scientific principles, one may maintain any paradox.
Galileo Galilei
It really depends on what you need.
Getting rid of global feedback in all of your audio components is a good start, whether or not you end up with tubes or solid state.
I personally believe that a lot of the love felt for tube preamps comes from the lack of need for negative feedback in most tube preamp circuits, while solid state preamps still end up needing a fair amount to tame distortion, gain, and impedance issues.
.. 'flavours' the sounds into an SS amp... some.
Certainly My preference. But primarily because MY drivers demand a Current capable amplifier (20+ a Min) To produce Seriously good dynamics/sparkle.
Virtually Eliminating tube amps.
"Which contributes most of the sound of tubes."
I'd say typically the power amplifier.
In general the output topology is quite different as most SS Amps. look like a voltage source, i.e. essentially zero output impedance. This is due to the lower device impedance making it quite practical to not use an output transformer and having (maybe) enough gain-bandwidth to support using feedback around much of the circuit. The low Zout affects the speaker's damping and crosstalk between the drivers.
The latter factors seem to be highly questioned these days in audiophile circles and rightfully so as it's turning out that our hearing appears to be quite a bit more sensitive to the HF and temporal aspects of the sound than we used to believe meaning that the old minimum GBW assumptions are probably invalid.
Implementation-wise any idiot can build a tube amp that sounds decent. I know because I used to do so in Jr. High and except for not being able to afford good output transformers they sounded fine. Transistors on the other hand, even now require a deeper understanding and skill set to achieve excellent performance. BUT they are a lot more stable over time and can easily deliver the goods untouched for decades.
There is less difference in preamps because the lower power levels mean that smaller geometry, faster parts can be used that have fewer aural drawbacks but still have the long-term stability advantages of SS.
The ultimate answer is that you can't judge a book by it's cover or an amplifier by it's parts. It's really not the medium, it's what you do with it. Home audio is seriously lacking decent interface specifications AND each of us is a little different (some more than others) so lacking perfect systems we have to stir our tastes and tolerances into the mix.
Listen to as much stuff as you can and patterns may emerge that will help you to decide what works for you. If getting highly satisfying sound was easy this forum would not exist...
Best, Rick
nt
Observe, before you think. Think before you open your yap. Act on the basis of experience.
I think the preamp contributes more. You just have to make sure that the output impedance of the preamp is a minimum of ten times less than the input impedance of the power amp. I would say that most go the opposite of your setup. Tube preamp solid state power amp is the popular choice.
I like antiques but not antique tubes.
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