Mike, I agree with you also, they do sound good. I am not in tube or SS camp as I have listened to some fine systems, tubed and SS in my audio journey. That being said, I could never tell a novice that tubes are the last word because tubes are not always the best and can only be best to some. There is a review over at AA under the Amp/PreAmp section posted yesterday by (Basstwo), he has two very well thought of (maybe even hyped) tubed preamps: Supratek Syrah and Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista that he has owned and knowes very well. He bought a passive transformer volume control: Bent Audio (also maybe hyped). It is a good read for a novice who just wants to enjoy good musical sound, you may enjoy it to, even us old pro's can learn.
The Good Ol Vacume Tube
I must admit that the good OLD VACUME TUBE invented before most of us were born makes for the best musical sound. I’m not one to ever knock new technology but I’m also one who doesn’t knock old technology either. We are all here because of our interest and love of music and good sound. We all have our individual taste and style.
For the novice who comes seeking good advice but has little knowledge of all the 1000’s of available products and choices, all the ads, all the hype, all the biased claims made by owners of particular products makes and models, the novice who doesn’t know the difference between one design from another, to the novice who would take it for granted and expect the latest newest technology to offer the very best performance and sound. To the novice who just wants very good enjoyable musical sound, the novice who has always loved favorite recordings and wants to purchase and build a good sounding musical sound system. I would like to tell that novice that after you cut through all the chase and hype, after you crossed all your T’s and dotted all you I’s, after you learned about room acoustics and good incoming AC power, after you learned enough to feel comfortable enough to be spending your hard earned cash. I would like to tell that graduate that to me all the latest greatest new technology cannot match the musical sound of the GOOD OL VACUME TUBE.
For the novice who comes seeking good advice but has little knowledge of all the 1000’s of available products and choices, all the ads, all the hype, all the biased claims made by owners of particular products makes and models, the novice who doesn’t know the difference between one design from another, to the novice who would take it for granted and expect the latest newest technology to offer the very best performance and sound. To the novice who just wants very good enjoyable musical sound, the novice who has always loved favorite recordings and wants to purchase and build a good sounding musical sound system. I would like to tell that novice that after you cut through all the chase and hype, after you crossed all your T’s and dotted all you I’s, after you learned about room acoustics and good incoming AC power, after you learned enough to feel comfortable enough to be spending your hard earned cash. I would like to tell that graduate that to me all the latest greatest new technology cannot match the musical sound of the GOOD OL VACUME TUBE.