Tube versus SS



Since I just installed some rather expensive NOS 6922 Telefunken tubes in my Phono-preamp, that yielded outstanding results, I decided to compare CD to Phono.

From the best of "Jacintha", CD, I selected "Danny Boy". Her voice emerged deep center stage from a jet black noise free back ground. It sounded more like what I expected from the analog.

That was followed by special LP's of Dinah Washington that had recently arrived. Those LP's were everything I expected with the NOS 6922 Telefunken Tubes in the Phono, but the surprise was the fact that I couldn't tell the two apart; both were outstanding.

What may surprise you, is the fact that I attribute these outstanding results from the COVID 19 "lock-down" which has given us the quietest "grid" ever in history. That means those of us with lesser means have the same AC power as the richest who can afford expensive AC power "clean uppers".

BTW, I have made extensive comparisons to recordings made before and after, the lock-down that confirm just how much of a difference it's made. I must admit that I had doubts about expensive power conditioners, but this confirms that fantastic results come from taming the wild AC.

It's my belief that we can not achieve better results than we have from the current "quiet grid", which means power conditioner or no power conditioner, we are all presently getting the same results.

Could it be that the dominant factor when comparing tube and SS when they both are of comparable quality is "The quality of the AC"?
   
orpheus10

Showing 2 responses by kennyc

@ orpheus10, I really glad that your enjoying your musical improvement from your NOS 6922 Telefunken tubes, audio enjoyment is what we’re all about. However, you seem to be drawing conclusions between apples and oranges.

You are comparing 2 different audio chains:
CD>Transport>DAC vs LP>Cartridge>PhonoPre
If you change a component (like a better or worse cartridge, or a different DAC), your sound will change. Just because it sounds similar to you, the logic doesn’t lead to the conclusion that it’s due to analog vs digital.

You are comparing 2 different recordings of 2 different artists mixed and recorded by different people on different equipment. Although your systems sound similar, how do you know that the recordings are of the same quality? As an example, couldn’t a subpar recording on a better system sound the same as an average system? Or a great recording on a subpar system?

Your in your statement ".... "quiet grid", which means power conditioner or no power conditioner, we are all presently getting the same results", lacks logic. Maybe it just semantics, but because we have to share the power grid, there is no "quiet grid", only periods of more of lesser noise. This logical conclusion doesn’t make sense: because of low noise power grid instance which you reasoned through your audio system’s performance, power conditioners have no benefit? All the online reviews and owners I’ve read over the years say otherwise.

When you do comparisons to draw conclusions best practices dictate that you change as few items and possible (usually only 1 item) while keeping the rest the same (constant) - A/B testing. For instance, if you only changed the old tube to a new tube and kept everything else the same, we would all follow the logic that the sonic changes was due to the tube change in your system and likely we can get the similar results if we did the same. But when you add more items (variables), things get exponentially more complicated and conclusions quickly loose their validity- too many alternate possibilities.

I apologize if I seem a bit critical, that was not my intent. Correcting inaccuracies is generally in the best interest of  forum members - get them the truth so they can draw accurate conclusions especially for their own situations. However, this should be done with respect - life is challenging enough without getting additional grief. I believe that audio forum members should learn, teach, encourage, and support each other to achieve audio bliss.

We all have different financial means - some more than others. Also, high-end audio components can be "really" expensive by most counts. These are facts that we cannot change - therefore, it serves no purpose to dwell on this - it’s a fruitless endeavor that can only cause us pain, resentment, hate with zero benefit- terribly unhealthy for us (maybe like reading my run on sentences).
Fortunately, we ALL can enjoy sonic bliss, the kind that puts a smile on your face, send shivers up your spine, deeply touch your soul...like maybe your NOS 6922 Telefunken tubes?


How much is lowering the noise floor worth? That’s a subjective question that only you can answer for yourself.

I’m a big fan of “more info is better” aka “another data point” (echos of MikeL), so I suggest you can try a power conditioner for free from a retailer that allows returns. On Amazon, there are a few power conditioners $100 and less with good ratings - I haven’t checked anywhere else so there’s more out there. If you like what it does in your system, you can also buy used to save some dough or move up to a better model.