Tubes Top End, SS bottom?


I love tubes on the highs and midrange, but can't get enough punch out of the bass on my Vandy 2ce's. I've been thinking that I should get a solid line amp, Aragon 4004 MkII to run the bottom. But will the speed of the solid state be out of phase with my old Dynaco St-70 on the top end? My preamp, an Aragon 24Ksp has two outs to amp. What is the most cost effective solution to my problem?
todd_crosby59c4

Showing 1 response by alruhl

About 2 years back, I was running a Counterpoint Solid2 on my bottom (SS), and a Counterpoint SA-100 (hybrid tube) on my top end. The results were beautiful, with the "sweetness" of tubes right were they needed to be, while the bass was strong and tight. You do need to very careful to avoid a system mismatch. The gains and power curves from different amps can really throw things out of whack. The gain is going to be the most imediately crucial factor. For instance, if one has a gain of 32db and the other has a gain of 26db, the 32db one is going to scream over the 26db one. Many manufacturers do make different amps specifically designed for this purpose. Sadly, Counterpoint is out of business, but you can get good used equip for a song. www.altavistaaudio.com Michael Elliots site, former Chief Designer for Counterpoint, runs ads, does repairs, upgrades, etc. if you're interested.