@widmerpool Absolutely correct. Even table salt versus Kosher salt. And even among brands of salt with Diamond Kosher salt generally superior to other brands.
Showing 4 responses by fleschler
My EAR 890 amp uses cheap electrolytics, downrated from the original build and then, after they started blowing amps, uprated in the current version. This is an abberation of EAR equipment. I haven't had a problem and understand that Paravacini designed his equipment to a price point. He didn't use the top quality parts but he chose parts which would work and produce the sound he sought. His genius is that he could take more conventional parts and design great sounding equipment at a price point, not cheap but not high end expensive either (besides his commercial product work). His affordable tube phono preamps are still highly regarded at their price. |
@bdp24 They were two of a kind; however, Roger designed circuits requiring perfectly matched output tubes such as he provided for my friend's RM9 amp. Luckily, the tubes also run conservatively and have an extended lifespan (10,000 hours?). |
@ieales My friend has the PSAudio BHK 250 amp and said it sounds best with matched Mullard 6922 tubes. Perfect matching is rare and maybe Kevin Deal goes for 5% and 10% for his premium and gold matched sets on Upscale Audio. Maybe I've just chosen 5% and 10% matched 12AX7s, 6922s and other small gain tubes. Output tubes are the most likely to alter gain and other characteristics during long term use. That is why manual and/or self biasing is required for output tubes. |