Transistor Preamp that sounds like a Tube Preamp?

Well, the tube emulation outputs on my cheap, old Carver pre-amp does a lot of this on my system, save the "bloom" part, I'd say.

Is "bloom" necessarily an attribute of better tube equipment?

With the best tube system I've heard recently in terms of $$$$s by a longshot (VTL and VAC), I did not hear an overt amount of tube warmth or "bloom", just a touch of warmth and overall smoothness and flow that resulted in a very natural sound on Magico minis (no sub). It was not that much different from a good SS system I thought.

Another much less expensive but certainly no slouch system (AR + Rogue) had a lot of "bloom". It was very pleasant and musical but I did not think it necessarily as natural or realistic sounding. This was with USher monitors and a Rel sub. Maybe it was the Rel sub that added some of the "bloom" I heard in the low end.

Bloom means whatever one wants I suppose. Never used the term before so I'm guessing.

To me it would seem to go with the nature of some tube systems I've heard to make certain fundamental elements of the music comprising the rhythm and flow more predominant and obvious. Hence the observation that a certain system has good rhythm and pacing perhaps, in terms I have heard used before.

Definitely not the same in my mind as warmth though, which is a different attribute associated more commonly with tubes..

Of course, I'm making this all up based on my own interpretation unless there is a formal definition or common reference out there somewhere?

Holographic projection of sound field into the room is not necessarily the domain of tubes. I've heard many SS systems that do this extremely well.

"Bloom" to me just does seem like something that I would associate with the common tube sound more so than SS.

bloomed, bloom·ing, blooms
v.intr.
1.
a. To bear a flower or flowers.
b. To support plant life in abundance: rains that made the yard bloom.
2. To shine; glow.
3. To grow or flourish with youth and vigor.
4. To appear or expand suddenly: White vapor bloomed from the side of the rocket's fuel tank.
v.tr.
1. To cause to flourish.
2. Obsolete To cause to flower.

Fla,

If cash is in short supply, try a somewhat unconventional approach building a system around a pair of newer Ohm Walsh speakers.

www.ohmspeakers.com

I was reading this about the Shino Latours and noticed I have my Ohm 5's set up in a very similar shaped room for a very similar listening configuration.

http://www.sixmoons.com/industryfeatures/forbidden/forbidden_5.html

The Shindos look great and appear horn loaded to match well with SET tube front-ends, but the Ohms (made in Brooklyn, NY) are ~ 1/10th the cost.

I would not consider them good matches for most tube amps (Atmasphere would be an interesting option to try though). A tube pre-amp would work fine if needed.

Still I would love to put them in a contest with the gorgeous Shindos if for no reason other than to listen for a performance/"bloom" difference that justifies the cost.

Maybe. Though I am very interested, I haven't heard any top notch horn designs in quite a while.

We're certainly talking about two radically different speaker designs being applied to similar ends in similar rooms.

Saxo,

Still out there?

If you like the sound of tubes, probably best to go with tubes. if that is the sound you like, then any thing else will be a compromise.

Shouldn't cost too much to build a nice sounding tube system around something like PrimaLuna, Rogue, etc.

Asa,

I would consider a tube pre-amp perhaps when the time comes to upgrade, but I am not even close to considering a tube power amp at this point.

IS the Shindo pre a tube unit?

Also I have no idea what an "Auditorium trannie" is?