Will tube amp give more of an analog sound to CD's

Hi David here. One of the main reasons tube amps have had such a huge resurrance over the last 15 years has been the 3 deminsonial sound and life they give to a somewhat flat and hard sounding medium,the compact disk. Dont get me wrong I still think my Linn Lp-12 sounds amazing but I love collecting new music,400 discs and counting and think many discs sound very good to great. Im using the Cary 306 player with Arc pre and power amp and would have a hard time switching to SS gear. Sometimes I bitch about the cost of NOS tubes,replacement etc. but really this is the kind of sound that often plays late into the night.

My system consists of SS CDP, tube preamp and tube amps. They together make a very synergistic, 3D and lively sound. I had one time switched to SS amp but I could not stand the analytic sound; therefore, I have to definitely go back to where I was standing and never looking back or think about solid state gear. But I have fun to replace different NOS tubes so you can also have changing sound you want.

Hello, I have had great success with the Mapleshade CD enhancements.After their use,it sounds like a more relaxed and more harmonically correct recording {Mikrosmooth,Ionoclast & Optrix}.These are available with a 30 day money back guarantee.Give Pierre a call,he can explain the use and purpose for each product.This kit will probably set you back $75 shipped.Happy listening.

Ceb222,Tpsonic might have nailed that one. Under my user name, look up "threads initiated". Read "Wash, Cut, Polish and Demagnetize". It ALL starts at the CD, and it's amazing at how much you can improve the average CD.

I am seriously considering a tube preamp to go with my SS amp & CDP. I have always used SS exclusively, but these discussion threads are making me adjust my thinking.

What I DON'T understand is : Why are New-Old-Stock (NOS) tubes the only ones that people try to use - especially Russian Military spec? Are there no modern, US-made tubes that work well for hi-fi use?

Is it that tubes are not used in industry enough to keep manufacturing new ones, so we are stuck with tracking down 1960's stock in some forgotten warehouse somewhere in Rotterdam???

My guess is that your CD player is not up to snuff. No need to seek euphonic colouration if the source and / or DAC are well designed using good quality parts. There are more than a few SS digital front ends ( players and / or DAC's ) that can do what you want without having to swap amps or impliment tubes. If you really like the aesthetics of your Krell, have it modified. For a player like this, i would probably contact Steve Huntley. Sean
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Just for your reference,my system is all solidstate.The NOS tubes are the most dependable and best sounding.That is what makes them expensive.The metallurgy and materials used to produce the NOS tubes was an art form.This made for exceptional sound quality and reliability.The "new" generation are either "soft" or overly razor-sharp,and will not last.Your gear is probably not the culprit,possibly the cables.On this note,I can possibly help or make a suggestion.
As far as CD treatments go:the Mapleshade "triple" works very well.If you want to use only one product,try the Walker VIVID.

Ceb222, you are correct, even the best sounding cd's lack the sound acheived by LP. It's inherent in the format. I would suggest playing more LP's. It seems to have worked for me. I have a tube cd player and a tube preamp, with a solid state amp. The tubes smooth the analytical sound to a degree, but I still do all of my serious listening on LP. I can even tell when a LP was digitally mastered (NOT a good thing). I like my LP's in full analog glory. CD will sound thin compared to an analog LP. A tube preamp can pretty up the sound a bit, but it's still an inferior medium.

You can put a pretty dress on Rosie O'Donnell, but she'll never look like Heidi Klum. IMHO.

Regards,
John

Just as we are discovering more on our favorite LPs,red-book CD is beginning to reveal that there is more on the shiny discs then we had given credit for.I will freely admit that I prefer analog LPs,but not everyone is up to dealing with the turntable/arm/cartridge workout-not to mention a matching phono amp.As designers learn and comprehend the workings of the digital environment,we will find listening pleasure in the land of CDs.There are poorly recorded CDs ,just as there are poorly produced LPs.Finding the gems is half the battle.
You might get a demo CD from Jim Aud/Purist Audio Design.They have been taken from an analog source and meticilously converted to the digital medium/CD.Give that a whirl.

YES! Also a great quality cd player can make a huge improvement