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My 1st Tube Equipment Experience

I just purchased a used Herron Audio VTSP-3A(r02) tube preamp, as a replacement for a NAD M12.  I paired the M12 with a NAD M22 v2.  My first impressions are the M12 has more detail, the VTSP is much warmer, which is what I wanted.  The VTSP sound is definitely different.  And while it lacks the M12 detail, I do like it.  

With the M12, my speakers were dead silent when music was not playing.  With the VTSP, I hear a slight hiss when I put my ear very near a speaker.  With the M12, I used XLR from the M12 to the M22; XLR from my Parasound JC3 jr; and RCA from my Liberty DAC.  With the VTSP, everything now is RCA.

Is a little hiss common when using a tube preamp and SS power amp with RCA cables?
128x128oldschool1948
rodman99999
5,981 posts
 
@ oldschool1948      My email service(Spectrum/Roadrunner) is down. Lots of angry postings, regarding the situation, online. Now, the link to PM you with, isn’t available here either, for some reason.
oldschool1948's avatar
oldschool1948 OP
488 posts
 
My Tubadour Signature arrived today.  The DAC came expertly packed.  The build quality is excellent and it looks good.  And, it was a pleasure doing business with Vlad.

Out of the box, the Tubadour sounds much better than my Liberty DAC. It should considering it cost more than twice as much.  I didn’t know what to expect; better sounding for sure, but in comparison, this DAC is in a different league.

The Tubadour sound is lush, more detailed, with a wider soundstage.  I fits very well with my existing equipment.  I can’t imagine how much better it will sound once it’s broken in.  I plan to do some serious listening over the next couple of weeks.  

I’ll be selling my Mytek Liberty DAC starting tomorrow :-)

jmolsberg's avatar
jmolsberg
467 posts
 
^ have fun and listen in good health. 
oldschool1948's avatar
oldschool1948 OP
488 posts
 
@jmolsberg  Thank you for mentioning the Tubadour DAC.  Next up, a better phone preamp than my Parasound JC3 Jr.  I think I see a Herron  VTPH-2A in my Christmas stocking.
oldschool1948's avatar
oldschool1948 OP
488 posts
 
A quick follow-up after a half-day of listening to music with the Tubadour DAC in my system.  I get the best SQ with the Herron pre-amp gain set to Hi and the NAD pwr amp gain set to Lo.  (With the Liberty, the Herron was set to Lo and the NAD to Mid.)  

I've also noticed a larger difference in sound volume when I switch between my analog and digital sources (Analog: Technics SL-1200G w/ Ortofon Quintet Black/Parasound JC3 Jr; Digital: Innous Zenith MKII/ sonicTransporter with Roon DSP/Tubadour DAC.)  In summary, at the same volume setting, when I switch between inputs, the digital music is noticeably louder.  With the Liberty DAC, the music was also louder, but there was much less of a difference.

I was thinking of adding an Ortofon ST-7 SUT to get more analog gain, or buying a better phone pre.  Thoughts anyone?

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