tubes! but only nos...
when i buy tube gear i think about what's the best nos tubes i can afford for it. i also try to get components with tube types that i know and like (12ax7 12au7 6v6 el34 for example) .ive recently added the ifi itube(tube buffer/preamp 100$ used ) to my system after the dac and i love it. you can get a fancier tube buffer or preamp for 1k and a nicer ss dac for 500 more and get a big improvement without losing the ability to upgrade only the dac in a few years time.
when i buy tube gear i think about what's the best nos tubes i can afford for it. i also try to get components with tube types that i know and like (12ax7 12au7 6v6 el34 for example) .ive recently added the ifi itube(tube buffer/preamp 100$ used ) to my system after the dac and i love it. you can get a fancier tube buffer or preamp for 1k and a nicer ss dac for 500 more and get a big improvement without losing the ability to upgrade only the dac in a few years time.