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Tube preamp vs Tube cd player

hi all

need your kind advice

for power amp, most people prefer solid state ("SS")

but for cd player and preamp, there is a preference for tubes

so in an ideal setup, which do you prefer?

1) "SS" cd player, tube preamp, "SS" poweramp
2) tube cd player, "ss" preamp, "SS" power amp

thank you
asustransformer

Showing 2 responses by charles1dad

charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Zd542,
You made some very good points.
I most often prefer tube over transistor alternatives in general but it all depends. Just adding tubes into the mix doesn't make everything better and solve all problems. Some SS components have better midrange sound than some tubes. Some tube components will provide better bass and resolution than some SS components. Design, part quality and high level implementation are what determine ultimate success. I use a SS DAC with tube preamplifier and power amplifier and this is a splendid solution me. There are numerous paths to good sound quality. Quality execution of the individual component is the key.
Charles,
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
It's my own experience/observation (of course) but tube/SS differences seem less pronounced with digital front ends ( there's more sonic overlap between them). Power amplifiers present the larger gap based on my listening. If you really like what a good tube amp can do, SS amplifiers will simply sound different(better or worse in an individual opinion). My 2 cents worth.
Charles,
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