Tube or SS DAC/Player with Tube Preamp?


Do you recommend that I use a Tube DAC (whether stand-alone or as part of a player) with my tube pre-amp (Sonic Frontiers Line2), or SS? My amp is a Bryston 4BST, speakers are JM Reynaud Offrande. Budget for CDplayer or Transport/DAC/cable is $2k, new or used
erosenberg

Showing 1 response by kjg

I'm on my third set of NOS tubes for my DAC, and the sound is dramatically different with each set. In many ways, this might be the best feature of a tube DAC, but it does mean that you commit to spending a bit of time (and money) fiddling with it. Still, with the right tubes in the right equipment, the sound can be magical.

I have tubes all around in my system and I think that Sean might be right in saying that it may be too much of a good thing. My current quest is to find a somewhat tighter sound than I have now, and I do think that someplace down the road there may be room for a SS amp or DAC. But...with a few more tubes on the way, and a couple more cable designs to try out, it may be a while before I'm finished playing.

Cheers,
Ken