I used to have a Decware amp (TORII mk3) and a Decware preamp (CSP2+) both of which were wonderful. Decware amps have gain attenuators and I found that I enjoyed music most with the amp gain turned to about 25% turn and the preamp to 75% turn. It made the music more holographic, dimensional, real. Both the preamp and the amp were tube designs but the preamp probably had a different distortion profile than the amp and it was this distortion profile that I like, so I turned up the preamp and turned down the amp. Perhaps more 2nd harmonic distortion? At least that’s what I always thought. It was nice to be able to adjust the sound profile somewhat in this manner and it was cheaper than buying more tubes, which I of course did anyway🙂
General question about tube preamps and gain
I have a (possibly moronic) question unrelated to my previous thread. This is a general question about tubes and gain.
So say you buy a tube preamp and it sounds clean and clear. You decide you want that dark, syrupy sound (classic tube sound?). So you buy tubes that impart this sound on the signal and install them.
Now installed, you notice that the more you turn the preamp volume up, the more the tubes impart that sound on the signal. But you can’t play it loud.
So could you, theoretically, put attenuators (lets say -10db) between said preamp and the power amp to lower the output signal which you’d then turn the volume up and drive the tubes a little harder to impart more of the tube’s sound at lower levels?
I hope this makes sense. It does in my head but that don’t mean much.
So say you buy a tube preamp and it sounds clean and clear. You decide you want that dark, syrupy sound (classic tube sound?). So you buy tubes that impart this sound on the signal and install them.
Now installed, you notice that the more you turn the preamp volume up, the more the tubes impart that sound on the signal. But you can’t play it loud.
So could you, theoretically, put attenuators (lets say -10db) between said preamp and the power amp to lower the output signal which you’d then turn the volume up and drive the tubes a little harder to impart more of the tube’s sound at lower levels?
I hope this makes sense. It does in my head but that don’t mean much.