transistor pre with the sound of tubes


Not sure i am mature enough for a tube preamp, so my quest would be for a transistor pre with a hint of tube sound.
What would be your suggestions? 
Btw, needs to be balanced as my active speakers only accept balanced.


rird

Showing 1 response by au_lait

There is NO such thing as "tube" or "transistor" sound! Only a CIRCUIT has a SOUND! The big advantage a solid-state device has over a vacuum tube is that the former is free from aging effects.


If “only” a circuit then why does tube rolling change sound? The lightbulb analogy is good - circuit stays the same but the type of bulb produces a specific result. Also, saying SS gear doesn’t age? So caps don’t go bad? Class A’s don’t burn up? Chips don’t fail?