When I listen with my Pass Labs XA 30.8 in my system and then switch to my Wyetech Labs 300 B mono blocks, the sound becomes immediately more life like, warmer and engaging. It’s a revelation every single time.
Is tube sound vs solid state easier to distinguish using headphones?
Well designed tube amplifiers and solid state amplifiers in general sound remarkably similar with a wide range of music. The slight holographic and imaging properties that tubes can allegedly portray over certain solid state designs is what brings people to the “tube sound” camp. My question for the audiophiles here is whether it’s even detectable in most speaker setups or does a high quality pair of headphones showcase the tube sound qualities more accurately due to their near-field nature?