Having owned Plinius SA250, MCintosh MC300, Levinson #333 and then a pair of #33H's along with Levinson #38S pre, #36S DAC, #37 transport...I decided to go to tubes 5 years ago...
Due to living in a hot climate, however,I recently decided to add a summer system consiting of #333, #380s pre and again the #36S and #37. No way was I willing to sell my tube gear and would have used the tubes in the cooler months.
To make a long story short, after 4 days, probably 15 hours + of music, I've returned to the tubes and the Levinson gear is being sold...even my wife remarked after the 2nd day that she could certainly tell the difference. The Levinson product is a clean sound with lots of authority but it lacks the true "musical experience" we've learned to love with the tube gear.
As I shared this story with a fellow audio friend he stated that certainly was a compliment to Jud Barber of Joule-Electra. Indeed it is! Jud's Rites of Passage monoblocks provide the amplification with the Joule-Electra LA-100 tube preamp as well as the LA-150 phono stage...
Living in a hot climate, we'll add a "silent" exhaust if necessary but one thing's for sure...we were happy with the Joule-Electra gear for 5 years before the bug bite and I'm confident we'll be happy another 5 as well. A little warm in the summer maybe...but well worth it for the musical enjoyment received.
Good luck in your quest for the best!
