@hilde45 I have also been told by a good friend that 6SN7 based preamps are the way to go. I'll be researching a few preamps and will definitely keep this in mind.
How do you add color?
For those of you who are adherents of straight wire, ruler flat frequency response, accurate and neutral sound, artists’ true intentions, etc. ... please stop reading now. You’ve been warned. If you continue to read, you might get heartburn and since I’m a nice guy, I don’t want to do that to you.
Now, for those who are not opposed to adding a bit of color and flavor to tune/tweak the sound to their liking, what is your preferred method of madness? Speakers, amps, preamps, DACs, cables? I know many who like the combination of solid state amps with tube preamps. Lately, a lot of upmarket DACs are using tubes (Lampizator) or R2R to add a sort of tube-like flavoring. Let’s say you’re happy with your solid state amp but want to add a bit of tube magic to the chain, would you get there by way of tube preamps or tube DACs? Or both -- which might be too much of a good thing perhaps?
Showing 6 responses by arafiq
In hindsight, perhaps the choice of the term ’color’ was a wrong one to start with. The term might imply some sort of artificial sweetness or making the sound unnatural. That was not what I was aiming for. I started to write my response but then I read @hilde45 ’s last message. He pretty much summed up my thoughts, albeit, in a vastly eloquent manner :) I wholeheartedly agree with everything he said. My intent was to discuss how to shape the sound signature to something you enjoy but without taking away from the intrinsic nature of the original recording. This does not imply bad synergy or other weaknesses in the chain. I’m sure this is not a novel idea. There’s a reason many audiophiles combine SS amps with tube preamps. or use a hybrid amp, and are happy with the results. Obviously there is more than one way to skin the cat. I never understood why some audiophiles are so dogmatic (my way is the only right way) about these things. Relax, it’s a hobby that’s supposed to make you happy -- whichever path you choose to take. Early on in my audio journey, I too was enamored by tweaking the sound by introducing a tube dac in the chain. I tried a couple of tube dacs but overtime I concluded that it was not always the best strategy, at least for me. Nowadays, I prefer my DAC to pass on the information as accurately as possible without altering the signal. But that’s just my preference. I’m sure there are many on this forum who are digging the sound of a tube dac as we speak. That being said, I never tried higher end tube dacs from, say, Lampizator’s upper models. I might try this route in the future. For now, I’m thinking of trying a tube preamp with my SS amp. I want to point out that I’m perfectly happy, in fact more than happy, with how my system sounds right now. It has all the tonality, texture, presence, etc. that I had always desired. So the urge to try a tube preamp is purely an experiment in the realm of ’what-if’. Just to push the envelope a bit more. It might not work out in the end. I guess there’s only one way to find out. |
Well said! It took me many years and lots of changes to reach the same conclusion. Like everyone else, I was more into 'detail' early on in my journey. But that, as impressive at it is, gets boring after a while. Timbre, texture, tonality is what helps you get emotionally connected with your music. |
Agreed. There's no compression algorithm for experience. But to me, that is what makes this journey so enjoyable and memorable. It's an evolutionary process ... not just in terms of how your equipment choices evolve, but also how you gradually learn what type of sound appeals to you the most. Honestly, when I started I had no clue what I liked. So it's not always about the synergy but also an exercise in self-exploration. You must peel the onion one layer at a time. Otherwise, what's the point.
|
@lalitk -- well, I do hold you partly responsible for my affliction :) But in all seriousness, listening to your well-thought out, well-put together system was a great learning experience for me. I had listened to several systems at various dealers but yours really provided a guiding light in my quest for a better system. Some systems impress you, some pull you in with their musicality. Yours is certainly a great example of the latter. |
I have already mentioned that perhaps the usage of the term ’color’ was not very apt to describe what I was trying to say. I see folks are still hung up on that word :) The point was that some people want neutrality at all cost. Some are okay with morphing the sound just little bit, similar to how you can season your food without altering the basic essence of the dish. Why get so dogmatic about it? I know people who reject tube amplification as a form of ’polluting’ the sound. The tube euphonics, in their mind, are an added coloration. They hate tone controls, and look down upon folks who buy amps with tone controls. These people often have telepathic abilities to know exactly what the artist had in mind when recording the song in 1967. I readily admit that I have no idea what the artist had in mind. I listen to enjoy and connect with music in a way that pleases me. I like what tubes bring to the table. I like what some of the very best SS amps bring to the table. I like to swap cables to try out a different ’flavor’ of sound every now and then. Different strokes for different folks. |