Going Tubing


Greetings!

I would like to introduce some tubes into my two channel set up.

I currently have a solid-state preamp and a solid-state power amp. (And a separate, hybrid tube phono stage.)

I am wondering, conceptually, staying with separates, if it would be better to switch the preamp to a tube preamp, or if it’s better to change the power ramp to a tube power amp. With “better” in this case I mean would have bigger impact on, for a lack of a better description, “tube sound.”

(I realize there are other considerations, such as having enough power to drive my speakers, but here I’m talking about conceptually, which part of these two audio chain components would have the most impact on the sound if switching one of them from ss to tube.)

128x128bimmerlover

Showing 1 response by ghdprentice

Typically most folks tiptoe in by getting a tubed preamp first. They are very low maintenance and will refine the sound. Then later once they are comfortable with tubes jump into tubed power amps. They will produce a bigger change, but typically are more expensive and if buying older equipment may require biasing and retubing which can cost some money. I finally switched to tube amplifiers a few years ago (then making my systems all tube) and am very sorry I did not do it decades ago. I have probably 5,000 hours of tube amplification listening now and vertically no different than solid state other than I retubed one component.