Greater influence ?

veindoc

veindoc

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As we all strive for improvement in our systems, I am very curious about the influence of tubes in my preamp vs. a tube based dac. It is a given I want a neutral and accurate yet pleasing effect without too much bloom.
On my system. My question is which change would produce a greater impact perhaps tame my tweeter and bring more air to my system. The choices are tube dac, tube linestage preamp or lastly just picking specific brands of tubes? Thnx in advance for the feedback. Tube amps not a consideration due to heat generation

Nick
 
Tube amps, tube DAC, tube preamp (in this order). I would ask Jeff if he has an idea about the new AMR ref DAC.
 
Nick,

Based on my experience, in order of the greatest effect on sound would be tube amp, tube preamp then tube dac. I believe you will end up with a tube preamp AND a tube dac to get you where you want to be with the TADs. An XP30 will give you a sweeter sound compared the the XP20 but it's not night and day.
 
I would say tube amp…tube preamp….tube DAC. I'm surprised Mike has the DAC before the amp, but I don't have much experience with a tube DAC.
 
Very interesting. It seems like proximity of signal path to speaker May influence your answer Mike. As I really love my ss amp it seems like a tube dac( very intrigued by latest Lampizator. Some of my vinyl only buddies consider this their only acceptable Dac choice to make digital musical) vs a great tube pre may make the preamp my second project. Thnx again Mike

Nick
 
I like tube amps and a SS preamp due to the fact that negative feedback in amps is ok and can add something good to the sound, not so with preamps. To me, feedback in preamps negatively affects the sound.

I would focus on the tube DAC. Think about a tube phonostage and vinyl rig too. I think the Zesto phonostage and a nice VPI or AVID setup would give you a warm source.
 
BruceLet said:
I would say tube amp…tube preamp….tube DAC. I'm surprised Mike has the DAC before the amp, but I don't have much experience with a tube DAC.
Click to expand...

You mean preamp? I love tubes period - but a tube preamp - to me - has the least affect on warming up the sound.

If it was me - I would think the Viola amp, Pass XP30 preamp and a tube DAC (I can't recommend Lampizator as I have no experience with it) - would be something to try.
 
I find amps whether Tubes or SS have the most impact on the primary characteristics of the system, it sets the primary overall sound more so than the preamp IMO.....the preamp is important and definitely can sway the sound but at a lessor degree than the amp.....the amp/speaker pairing sets the entire direction of the system sound wise, at least to me.....get the amp/speaker right then all other things fall into place a bit easier. The other sources are more the icing on the cake (think nuances / refinement, etc) its influences are more mellow and have less impact on the overall sound of the system. I would vote Amps, Preamp, then rest of the sources and perhaps tube rolling & cables if you were looking at changes and don't overlook speaker/room interaction......As always YMMV!
 
I had bright speakers I tried to tame with room treatments and all tubes (preamp and amp), and I realized nothing I could do would tame the nature of the tweeter.
 
Thnx guys. I appreciate you thoughts Joe & Jeff. Tame is a strong word. Perhaps finesse what I hear I on certain recordings. My new cables arrive weds. I am trying to demo some tube based dacs.

Nick
 
Tube speakers (crossover)? ...Noooooooooooo way Jose! :D ...A warm speaker would do, with a soft dome tweeter (textile cotton, or silk).
Tube turntable (power supply and phono stage)?
Tube CD player? Yeah of course, Oppo 105 tube ModWright.
Tube cables? ...Just get some of those fine-tuned to have that 'tubing' EQ. ;)

I thought that a volume level control has one of the most significant influences on sound (low level signal).
...Seems that amplification (power) has (is the one with the most).
 
Good luck with the dac & tube thing, my experience would run to the AMR, Lampizator no.
 
I guess Norman needs to politely step up and comment on the upside and or downside of Lampizator. A new version comes out at next CES. Manuel switching for different sampling rates is now done automatically. DSD modules with a relay preclude the need for a separate dsd and redbook and hirez dac chassis. If anyone in addition to Norman has Lampizator experience I am delighted to hear their biases.

NIck
 
Nick:

I haven't experienced the Lamp firsthand but I hope with the upcoming changes they've remedied the click/pop/pause in playing back different sample rates in the same queue/playlist I've read /heard so much about. The AMR also suffers from this; but at a lesser degree (just a relay click and pause).
 
My two cents is your electronics are excellent, and I spent some time in Japan listening at TAD to their reference system. Given your particular electronics (more than rules of thumb) I look at the Ayre DAC and the Cambridge audio..and feel somehow a great tube dac (TotalDAC Analog or Ref 1 DAC for example so I am told) would have more influence in your particular system, since I have spent time with Ayre electronics (not digital) and also with Cambridge audio digital. I am going to guess the Pass pre is pretty darn good and fairly organic from what I have read. I am partial to the Zanden DAC which has beat all comers who have ventured here (to my ears)...but it is expensive, needs a lot of isolation to sound its best and is not hi-res. Ypsilon and Concert Fidelity also make good tubed digital from what I've heard. I have heard Ypsilon ref monos and was impressed and got a sense of how they design their sound. Extraordinarily linear, but not without the very subtle nuancing of tubes. my two cents looking at your system and reading where it seems you want to drive your sound.
 
good stuff LL21 -BTW I did audition the new zanden pre 6100-not at same level as their 2 chassis reference. I hope my next dac will be for my network player and can bypass my cd players dac. Then my player will will act just like a transport. I will research the dacs you mentioned.
thnx Nick
 
When I upgraded my pre from the ARC LS27 to the Ref5SE, the transformation was dramatic. Everything else stayed the same. Even my wife commented how much nicer the system sounded and much more musical was the presentation.
 
veindoc said:
As we all strive for improvement in our systems, I am very curious about the influence of tubes in my preamp vs. a tube based dac. It is a given I want a neutral and accurate yet pleasing effect without too much bloom.
On my system. My question is which change would produce a greater impact perhaps tame my tweeter and bring more air to my system. The choices are tube dac, tube linestage preamp or lastly just picking specific brands of tubes? Thnx in advance for the feedback. Tube amps not a consideration due to heat generation

Nick
Click to expand...

well thats a great great question and one has to consider what other gear you have in your system. If you have anything upstream with a powerful house sound, it may be hard to get what you're after. If you have cables that aren't clear you may have issues. But if you have gear that's transparent all one would have to do is do some tube rolling. Also...as much as it's been said not to change cables, cables can be used to tune a system. So that is a
so something to consider. What tubes do you have in your preamp?
 
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