AudiogoN Forums: Tubes vs Solid State

Tubes vs Solid State

I have have been listening to music all my life but have only recently started experimenting with different amplifier and/or speakers/component combinations. I have recently moved from Parasound JC 1's to Classe Cam 400 monoblocks which I have both loved (maybe the prior a bit more) and are contemplating another move. I have been very intrigued by tube monoblocks and have the opportunity now to move to ARC ref 600's. I can also get Mark Levinson 33's for about the same cost. I am just uncertain about the Ref 600's as I am worried that I might be disappointed in the tube sound.

Can someone with more experience perhaps help me out here ? I am using the amps as part of a home-theatre setup driving 802 d's and other 800 diamond fronts and rears. I would really appreciate some good advice here.

Gfdt (Threads | Answers | This Thread)

04-17-12

Responses (1-34 of 34)

Click title to read one, or click date to read all below it.

04-18-12 Once you try a good tube amp, my bet will be that you will n ... Pdreher

04-18-12 If those 802 d's and 800 diamonds are the b&w's i think they ... Unsound

04-18-12 If you can live with the practicality issues of that arc 600 ... Dhl93449

04-19-12 Going to a tube preamp is nothing big deal. but going to a b ... Elizabeth

04-19-12 Matching amps and speakers is important! take a look at thi ... Atmasphere

04-19-12 If you need to stick to the b&w's, stick with ss. in additi ... Buconero117

04-19-12 I use the rogue m180's with kt 120 tubes to drive martin log ... Sgunther

04-19-12 I would pay close attention to ralph's (atmasphere) response ... Rleff

04-19-12 I`m a person who generally prefers tube power amplifiers but ... Charles1dad

04-19-12 I’ve been there and for many years (about 15) i listened exc ... Sndsrtaud

04-19-12 Why are so many speakers built with woofer arrays/types that ... Mechans

04-20-12 There are many reasons why a speaker designer might choose t ... Unsound

04-20-12 I use tube amps with b&w 800's. in my experience, the bigges ... Audioquest4life

04-20-12 Mechans,i`ve wondered about that very same issue for years,w ... Charles1dad

04-20-12 ...and many of us clearly find that lower impedance speakers ... Unsound

04-20-12 Tube amps are more fun. there i said it. Wolf_garcia

04-20-12 Hi unsound, it`s simply what works best for us as individua ... Charles1dad

04-20-12 Take a look at the new rogue tube class d hybrid amps with t ... Mapman

04-20-12 Hi all ! i say try it and see how you like it ,you never kno ... Bradluke0

04-20-12 I always liked ss sound. the bel canto ref1000m's (ss) do a ... Singleendedsingle

04-21-12 First of all i want to thank you all for the great feedback. ... Gfdt

04-21-12 Us the right tool for the job at hand. b&w's work better wit ... Unsound

04-21-12 Bradluke0, your experiences and evolution mirrors mine,there ... Charles1dad

04-21-12 As ralph (i am assuming it was ralph for atmasphere) said, i ... Whart

04-21-12 For movies plus music i would stay with ss. the big ar 600s ... Gshepardbuster

04-23-12 I have a set of b&w 802ds. the impedance curve is rediculous ... Gregj11

04-25-12 Maybe a hybrid power amp would work well;being able to roll ... Rleff

04-26-12 There has been the question of why there is 4 ohms. the answ ... Atmasphere

04-26-12: Bifwynne
Ralph, how critical is the 4 Ohm factor if impedance drops to 4 Ohms from 70 Hz to 200 Hz; and does get above 6 Ohms from 60 Hz to 500 Hz? I drive my speakers with an ARC tube amp, 130 wpc??? Should I invest in the "Zero" device? FWIW, I've tried using the 4 Ohm output taps on the amp and the sound quality goes down the drain.
Bifwynne (System | Reviews | Threads | Answers | This Thread)

04-27-12 Bifwynne, i would certainly give the zeros a try and see how ... Atmasphere

04-27-12 Bifwynne, got a pair of zeros that i need to get around to ... Roscoeiii

04-28-12 What kind of amp you will use should be always seen with the ... Syntax

04-28-12 Syntax, your wilson example is a good one. higher load imped ... Charles1dad

04-28-12 Currently i have arc ref 250 driving my 802. the arc is repl ... Zeitune