What should I change


Hello everyone,

I currently have a 2 channel setup consisting of all Audia electronics (Audia Flight Pre, 100 AMP, CD-One), peak consult empress speakers, 2 stereo subs (audio data soutien 2s). ICs and PCs are made by my consultant.

While I can't complain about any aspect of the sound (soundstage, timber, impact etc is all good) I am stuck with the most intangible problem. Lack of or low on emotion. I can't seem to be able to get drawn into music.

I changed from all ARC an year back and although its been a long time I don't recall having this problem so consistently. Sure I had my bad days due to stress etc where music was not enjoyable but I don't remember this being a long streak.

Maybe I am just tired as it took me a year to get to my present system and it has been a long and hard journey. Or maybe its the tubes that I am still missing.

My consultant has a view (similar to many others I have read on the forums) that these days a well set up system sounds more or less the same as during the last 5 years or so SS and tubes have become very close if not the same. However tube maintenance is a pain. Therefore he is now a pure SS camper. However one twist is that he himself has a tube amp :-)

One question I have is that if I decide to try tube gear which one makes most difference in your experience. This will help as I can't test it with all tube gear to begin with but if one component would take me in the right direction I will move back into tube territory gradually again.

I also heard once that low damping factor (12) of ARC Ref110 was the part that gave it the distinct sound I seemed to enjoy so much. Any comments on that?

Personally I am not an expert and does not have decades of fideling experience with either tubes or SS but I know what I like.

In this thread I hope that people with more experience/knowledge will share some with me.

Thanks,
-Rayden
rayden1972

Showing 1 response by garryh


I've got the Audia little brothers, Flight Two Int Amp & CD Two, in my Living Room setup (not yet posted) paired with Focus Audio FS-888s and twin Velodyne subs.

With 3 other systems that are all tube or have tubes in the mix and not ready to commit to another set of tube amps in the living room yet, I chose Audia as a stop gap. When auditioning, I was impressed with the balanced sound, control, specs, & build quality. To me, this was a SS amp that a tube lover might appreciate, especially so when compared to other decent quality similarly priced SS amps auditioned. After living with them now for almost two years, by and large, I am quite pleased and do not feel at all that the FS-888s (90 dB @ 4 ohms) are wanting for power.

That said, like you, for some time now, I experienced precisely what you did with respect to feeling that there "was something missing". As I listen to the other tubed rigs far more frequently, the differences were / are readily apparent. A few months ago, for a change of pace, I decided to drop my Primaluna Prologue 2 in the mix just for a change of pace. The driver & input tubes have been upgraded to high grade tubes & it sounds really quite nice; ironically, approaching SS like sound. After a few weeks, a funny thing happened - I actually started missing the Audia amp and realised how much I appreciated its virtues . . . clarity, tonal balance, sense of power, and very good bass delineation. I have since decided to hold off on any changes for now and simply appreciate the current system for what it is.

Accordingly, my vote would be to give it a bit more time. If, after more time, you still feel the need for a change, you’d still have not really lost anything and will have solidified the reasons for wanting the changes in the first place. Good luck either way.

Cheers,
Garry