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infinity 1b's- should i go tubes for top end???

audio friends,, i have infinity 1b's. a parasound 3500 for the bottom end and a rotel 1090 for the top end. the sound?? i think it sounds great. smooth and clean with great power. everybody says tubes for the top. to do this would mean selling the rotel for maybe $1000 and having to put out another $1000 to get say a 100wpc setup. amps in my range would be something like rogue 150's, audio research vs110's, cary slm100's. lets face it, i would want at least 100 wps for the mid/tweed panels. the BIG question is on just how much of an inprovement in sound is there going to be??. everybody says the rotel 1090 is a great amp, i tend to agree, and it does sound good. i would just hate to spend the time and money without decient results. and the reliable factor. the rotel probable will last for years. tubes?? how much up keep will they be just to get a decient year out of them. can someone convince me either way.
tomtab

Showing 1 response by mapman

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mapman
22,772 posts
 
Mixing tube and SS amps to the same speakers sounds like a risky, overly complex, and potentially expensive solution unless you really know exactly how well the amp configuration will play with the specific speaks in question based on experience of others.

Personally, I would not go there.

If the speaks are a good match for tube power, just find a good tube amp that fits the bill or, particularly if speakers are not tube friendly or you are tube shy, consider using a good tube pre-amp. Switching to an Audio Research tube pre has produced wonderful results from top to bottom in my system, and the sound is just very clean, smooth and effortless, not "tubey" sounding at all.
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