2. amps-preamps
  3. 1264342155

Tubes vs. solid state.

I just switched back to my ss equipment and can't see how I listened to ss for so many years and thought that I had a good system, maybe the equipment needs to be left on for some time.
But regardless of that, the difference is startling. I know that my tube equipment is not the same degree of excellence as my ss, but now ss sounds lean, thin lifeless. Have my listening priorities changed? One thing I noticed; my listening perception adapts to the sound present in the room. As I write this the sound is improving incremently.
Anyone share the same experience??
I will post as I will continue to listen and notice differences.
Ss is simaudio p-5 w-5, tubes are Cj premier 4 amp and audio experience a2se preamp.
Are there ss preamps that will satisfy or am I smitten by bubes I mean tubes.
pedrillo

Showing 3 responses by rtn1

rtn1
535 posts
 
Interesting concept about our hearing becoming accustomed to bad sounding equipment. That does not happen to me. In fact, bad sounding equipment sounds worse with time. Positive changes tend to quickly become assimilated into the sound and they become less noticable over time.

SS amps need very careful matching to reach their potential. The correct preamp and cables will make or break a SS amp. In fact, a cable can make all the difference between music that is involving, and a sound that is unpleasant.

If your SS amp has been in storage, it probably need 200-300 hours to break-in again. That is the likely reason for some improvement based upon the information provided.
rtn1
535 posts
 
Unamplified acoustic instrument and voice is the standard for live music.

Anything amplified during a live or recorded event has a coloration.

If a guitar amplifier used tubes in the performance, then the tubes should be contained within the recording.
rtn1
535 posts
 
Uh-oh. What happens when a tubes vs. solid state thread merges into whether break-in and warm-up exists? Next, someone will say that some wire they found in the dumpster of Home Depot is just as good as all audio cables in existence. This thread may actually implode.

Maybe this thread should be shut down. There are plenty of other good threads such as:

What speakers will my cat like?
Why are there so many [component x] for sale?
What is the best [component y]?
and
Remote doesn't work, could it be the batteries?
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