tube preamp in SS receiver loop

Thanks very much for those insightful responses. I agree, Newbee, that the tape loop would make sense if I do go the tube buffer route. Thus I probably should not opt for the multi-source tube preamp but a tube buffer instead, maybe with a separate pbono stage.

Burt, I probably should have mentioned that I am using a 70s era Marantz receiver, not home theater. But I have been mistakenly believing that I couldn't wire multiple sources to the tube preamp's single line level input because of the hum and signal degradation that would be introduced by several sources at the PHONO input. But at the LINE stage input, I now realize, I could indeed wire different sources directly to the preamp's single input using Y adapters or other multi input wiring.

So the decision becomes whether to use a buffer and perhaps a phono stage, or a preamp with all the sources wired directly into it. I guess I wanted to be able to continue selecting the source on the receiver. But that doesn't matter that much.

This is all very helpful in my thinking, so thanks again for your wise counsel.

Thanks, Ivan. You have it right. I have a typical vintage solid state midfi receiver with phono, tape, tuner, aux inputs. I started looking into this controversial buffer business, which led me to a reasonable and fairly popular tube preamp, with the phono stage as well, the Yaqin 12B, which I thought might make a good buffer.

But then I wondered if it would work in the tape or pre-out, main-in loop as a tube preamp in series with the solid state preamp in the receiver. Maybe a little redundant, and, as you say, there is the problem with the two volume controls. I don't want to completely bypass the receiver's preamp because I need its tone controls.

So I'm leaning toward the single-tube Yaqin buffer (cd1), and maybe later a phono stage. And one day, maybe either a more expensive preamp with multiple inputs or a complete tube setup. Part of the fun of all this is the journey.

Much appreciate your thoughtful comments.

John

Thanks, Seattlehifi. I see what you're saying about the preamp over a buffer. Clearly I have a lot of factors to consider.

I'm still leaning toward the buffer for now, maybe the yaqin cd3 (of course, the whole cd1,2 or 3 issue is another big debate in itself! my eyes are blurry from skimming boards). It would fit better in my space and be more of a small mod to my existing Marantz, which I already like quite a lot.

But if I find I really like the tube sound, then eventually I could splurge on an honest-to-goodness tube preamp. Or even integrated. Vintage, maybe. The last time I saw a tube was about 1965 in the back of my parents' monaural Magnavox, which I can still recall sounding awesome. Meanwhile I could ease into rolling tubes in the buffer.

Thanks. That was my intention, to plug it into the receiver's main ins, with the preamp outs feeding into it. But it will be fun to try different configurations. Unless it sounds awful. In which case it won't be all THAT much fun.

I am very grateful for all of your thoughtful responses, and am learning a lot! I have been away from all this for a few weeks due to a frantic new job with ungodly deadlines, and before reading some of the more recent posts here -- in fact not realizing they WERE here -- I acted on the Yaqin ms12b tube phono stage and line preamp, which arrived the other day. If it doesn't work for me, it can go on sale. I would like to have the money to do better than trying to cobble it together with my modest vintage SS receiver, but maybe that will come with time.

I've just begun to experiment (a wonderful way of not worrying about work!). What I have discovered: If I plug the Yaqin directly into my receiver's PRE-OUT MAIN-IN loop, all the receiver's tone and volume controls are disabled for the phono, which of course goes directly from the RIAA input on the Yaqin preamp to the solid state MAIN IN. Tone and volume do work for other sources, I guess because they go through the SS preamp before going into the Yaqin, and I do have the Yaqin volume control.

If I plug the receiver's TAPE OUT into the Yaqin LINE IN and the Yaqin output into the receiver's MAIN IN, resulting in a TAPE OUT-MAIN IN loop, the receiver's tone controls are bypassed for all sources and the receiver seems to act as a source selector without modifying the signal, so that might be the purest solution. But I may still need tone controls at this point.

So far, with the Yaqin going directly into the power amp--without the use of tone controls and the ability to temper the treble--I find it harsh and tinny, much more so than the SS receiver on its own--which I was trying to mellow and soften. (I am not yet a purist!) Of course, I still have new stock Chinese tubes in it, which are not supposed to be all that great.

On the other hand, if I put the Yaqin into the Marantz TAPE-IN TAP-OUT loop, where I have the advantage of the receiver's tone and volume controls, the sound is more pleasing--still not sure how much better it is than the plain ol' Marantz is, but maybe tube rolling, which I have never tried, might be the next step.

This is all quite confusing to me, and one day I may bite the bullet and go for an integrated tube amp. But in the meantime, what about just leaving the tube pre-amp in the tape loop, with access to the receiver's tone and volume controls? At least for now? Followed with better tubes fro the Yaqin.

Or can anyone think of a better configuration? Thanks, all, for sharing your knowledge and expertise.