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General Asylum General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories. |
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General Asylum General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories. |
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In Reply to: RE: How many LAYERS of TUBES do you really need? posted by RGA on March 10, 2021 at 17:30:53:
I like your write up and agree that there are vast differences in sound among tube amplification.For example, I owned the ARC LS25mkII and the BAT VK-30SE, both of which use the 6H30 "SuperTube". These preamps sound very different.
If I were to generalize to the extreme in order to get my point across, the ARC sounds light, lean, and thin. The BAT sounds weighty, rich, robust, but a bit dark. Go figure.
Perhaps the differences have something to do with ARC using JFET solid-state amplification with the 6H30 tube relegated to simple cathode follower duty as a buffer. You know, like those cheap "tube buffer" add on products.
The BAT on the other hand uses the 6H30 to full advantage for amplification and there is no cathode follower that (IMHO) simply veils the sound. But to my ears even though I like the richer sound of the BAT, it's a bit dark overall.
And of course not all solid-state sound the same, not even within a brand. For example, the "small" Krell KSA-50S is a sweet sounding smooth SS amp with huge dynamics, slightly warm, robust and very "musical". The powerful Krell KAV-2250 was mostly grainy, a bit thin in the mids, and harsh overall approaching what I call ear bleed territory reminiscent of older Bryston. I compared Bryston and Classe back in the day and it was no contest as I can attest to enjoying 4 Classe amps over the years.
Similarly, the "cheap" AES/Cary Six Pack EL34 monoblocks were noticeably more to my liking than the iconic CJ Premier 11A.
Edits: 03/11/21 03/11/21
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- Differences in tube sound... - AbeCollins 06:34:53 03/11/21 (0)
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