2. amps-preamps
  3. 174207-10803

Can one have too many tube components in a system?

Especially if one has sensitive speakers? For myself with ZU Omen defs, I have to keep an eye on the gain of the amps I choose since my BHK runs tubes. If gain is too high, tube hiss becomes an issue. However, I see people with tubed amp, tube pre, tubed phono pre, tubed dac......doesn't the tube his (just like tape hiss every time you copy a tape over and over) intensify with every component? Or to pull this off one needs less efficient speakers?

aberyclark

Showing 1 response by sns

sns
3,601 posts
 

Nope, not if equipment well designed, good AC, proper grounding, quality tubes. One of my amps 845SET matched to 104db sensitivity speakers, a bit more noise than 300B SET's, still not obtrusive.

I too like my dac solid state. Ran a tube dac with other tube equipment in past system, that was only time I experienced excessive tubes in system, although not because of tube hiss.

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