2. amps-preamps
  3. 156850-111557

Tube Preamp with Solid State Amp?

Greetings!

I’ve seen some folks using Tube Preamps with Solid State Am ps. I’m thinking of doing that with my system as part of an incremental change. I currently have a Parasound P5 preamp with a Parasound A21 driving Klipsch Cornwall 4’s. Will a decent / good Tube Preamp really make a difference in my sound? I enjoy what I have now but really want to experience Tubes in my system. Thanks!
bigjohn9095

Showing 2 responses by tweak1

tweak1
3,685 posts
 
Having danced the dance for decades between all tube and all SS, I have yet to find a reasonably priced tube pre that didn’t go too far in the ’silky’ sonic range.

Real music has a sharp leading edge with certain instruments, which most tube components tend to smooth over. But in the process, the sound stage and floor gets noisier, which diminishes imaging and micro-details. Many dacs are equally guilty of this


I owned the P5 which is a decent pre, but I ran mine via the XLRs, not quite differential but close. I replaced it with a Audio Alchemy DPA-1 + PS 5 outboard power supply and built in dac. If you can find the combination it is a significant upgrade, plus it has 4 choices to tailor the dac to your system and ears

hth
tweak1
3,685 posts
 
I had a P5, it was a lot better than their P3, but...
anyway, the lines between tube and SS kit has long been blurred
I replaced my P5 with an Audio Alchemy DDP-1 and later added their PS5 outboard power supply, which is a HUGE improvement
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