going from tube preamp to solid state


just toying around with this and it might not even happen.

have a tube preamp now and while i might sell this later on and get another preamp.......have there been members that have had a tube preamp, sold it and went to a solid state preamp and kept it ?          or did you prefer the tube preamp sound and went back to it ?

maybe got a tube preamp that uses different tubes than the previous one did ?     

the preamp i have now, i like the way it sounds, but just not a fan of the 6sn7 and never really have been.   i prefer the 6922, 12au7 / 12ax7 tubes better.   

innersound300

Showing 8 responses by innersound300

@russ69 

 

whats wrong with the 6922 tubes ?

 

any recommendations for a solid state preamp ?    would need dual outputs.

@soix 

 

and that is why i havent made a decision on this yet as i dont think its going to be an easy one.                   

with tube equipment  you can change the sound of it by trying other tubes , where with solid state, how it sounds is how it sounds.   

 

@russ69 

 

if i was to do a change, i would say less than $5k.

 

@vonhelmholtz 

 

i know not all tube or solid state preamps sound the same.....no different than tube and solid state state amps dont sound the same. 

i am just toying with an idea and like i said, it might not even happen.

@vonhelmholtz 

using aric audio transcend preamp at the moment

 

what i am looking for is a preamp that can give me a bigger soundstage .  right now , all i have is center imaging and looking for more than that.      the room has been treated, speakers have been moved every which way you can think of.....and nothing really changes.      room is 12 x 11 x 8 .         

 

@ghdprentice 

 

I would say that if you are looking at high end products… say in the $5K to $25K… tube products are likely to sound better. 

in my previous reply, i said under $5k...and probably even closer to $2k would be more likely at the moment.

 

Also, for use to be helpful, if you would put some quick photos and your components under your UsrID… under virtual systems, we can be tremendously more helpful. Lots of times a question comes in about a piece of equipment, but the answer is about how your system is set up or your venue. Very helpful.

setup is fine.....as i said, there are room treatments, speakers have been moved in every direction possible and the end result is always the same : center imagining and that is where it ends.      i would like more soundstage, hence the preamp question / post.

 

 

 

@knotscott 

 

Not all preamps are created equal...tube or SS.  What tube preamp do you have, and which SS preamp are you considering?

I get that not all preamps whether they are tube or solid state are created equal. 

i mentioned earlier what preamp i am using now.           

havent really seriously looked at any ss preamps right now.....as i said in the beginning, this is just an idea and it might not even happen.

basically asking if anybody has gone from tube to solid state and did they like it or did they end up going back to tubes.

 

@elliottbnewcombjr 

 

 

L/R MUST be working equally to create a center image which is entirely Phantom. 

It sounds like something is in MONO mode, OR something is wrong with your l/r connections. out of preamp to amp; speaker connections. OR, inside the preamp. OR inside your amp.

why do you say that it sounds like its in mono mode ?    vocals sound like they are coming from the center, isnt that where they are suppose to sound like they are coming from ?

1. Double Check all your connections, find something wrong, fix it.

its a very simple system, preamp, cd player, amp.   all connections are correct

2. double check all tubes: in correct sockets? (I switched my 6sn7 with 6sl7 once)

there are only 2 tubes....so hard to mess that up.

3. Prove AMP is producing Stereo (omit preamp). Hook up a CD player (any line level device (not LP) directly to the amp . Nice imaging? IF so, speaker wires are ok and amp is ok.

cd player cant go direct.    amp is producing stereo

4. Same CD, same track: thru the preamp to amp. Sound same as when CD player straight to amp? 

a. you have two sets of outputs on that preamp, have you tried them both?

 

b. 4 inputs on the preamp, try each input, any difference?

btw, what AMP?

Innersound ESL 300

 

 

@rmdmoore 

 

 if you're looking for soundstage, a lot of that will come from speaker placement in your room. For instance, if you have an amazing center image but not a lot of soundstage width or depth I'm gonna guess that your speakers are 1, too close together, or 2, toed in quite a bit

as i said earlier :

the room has been treated, speakers have been moved every which way you can think of.....and nothing really changes.   

there is no toe in at all.   speakers are 69" apart, so i dont think they are to close together ( and they are 42": from back wall and 32" from side wall ).