2. amps-preamps
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Think I want a tube system?

I've haven't listened to a tube system in 30 or 40 years. (I'm retired). I have several general questions. I hope y'all (South Alabama) will help me. I have a fair solid state power amp (Onkya M-504 165w per channel) No pre amp.
Which is the most important a tube pre amp or a tube power amp or both tubes. I would like to keep the power amp, but would sell if necessary. My second question is a little more complicated. If I play music from cds or internet download, isn't that digital. If I recall,digital is not an analog wave form but samples taken along it's path to reproduce an analog wave. The more samples the closer to analog. However, many people felt that no mater how many samples were taken, the nuance of a pure sound wave would be lost. If this is the case, what can tubes give me if my source is digital. Back to vinyl? Even then do they now record digital? I hope this is wrong.
rryall

Showing 3 responses by daveyf

daveyf's avatar
daveyf
3,070 posts
 
Hifihvn, I disagree with you. I think that the preamp is a MAJOR factor in where your sound comes from. Get the preamp wrong and the rest is history.
BUT with the right preamp and the wrong amp, well you may get an acceptable sound. IMHO, a good tube preamp is a very good building block in which to start.
daveyf's avatar
daveyf
3,070 posts
 
Unsound, you might want to try a great tube preamp in your system and then get back to me.
Tom, take your very nice BAT preamp out and replace it with a cold ss preamp and I would be interested to see what you would think then, OTOH, leave the BAT in the system and replace the tube amps with a ss amp. I suspect you would way prefer the latter. Just IMHO..:0)
daveyf's avatar
daveyf
3,070 posts
 
Umm Unsound, I think that you may be a little confused... SET's are amps(usually)and my argument is that the Preamp section is more important. Sure SET wouldn't drive Apogees; BUT then neither would most any other tube amp or ss amp for that matter.
So this reference seems somewhat illogical to me.
Have you actually heard a great tube preamp?...Somehow, I seriously doubt it, which is why I suggest that you do so. Maybe then you could debate the differences. I own both a tube preamp and a tube amp and a ss amp. The tube preamp is by far and away the biggest variable. Sure a tube amp sounds different than a ss amp. ( generally speaking) BUT if I were to replace my tube preamp with a typical ss preamp, then ( and BTW I have done this) the sound changes drastically. I suppose YMMV.
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