2. amps-preamps
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From tubes to solid state. What do you loose...


...if your priories are transparency, timbral acuracy, micro dynamics and soundstage? I am hesitant to give-up on my Sonic Frontiers Power 2, but buying tubes every so often can be quite expensive. The current tubes offered (Sovtek, Svetlana, EH) are short-lived and not cheap either. I will probably stay with tube pre-amp and go with the ss amps, like Mark Levinson...?
lmasino
gs5556
1,209 posts
 
I don't think you lose anything...there are plenty of SS amps out there that will give you "transparency, timbral acuracy, micro dynamics and soundstage".
jeffga
89 posts
 
Magic. My experience is that you lose emotion (magic), depth, timbral accuracy, depth, and general listenability with ss. Tubes must be correctly system matched to make magic. I have used very good ss with good results but never attained the magic.
royy
148 posts
 
you lose your heater on cold winter nights.
msa
35 posts
 
I wouldn't give up on the SF power 2 so fast. My original set of tubes were still good when I changed them after 5 years. The entire tube set cost $290. Not bad for 5 years.
muralman1
1,527 posts
 
I'm agreeing with Asa and others. There is no reason to think you are giving up on tube "magic" when you switch out the tube monster amp for an ultra clean superbly designed ss amp - if you keep tubes in the front end, or pre amp. No worry, all the friendly even harmonics will still be there in the end.

hey Asa - I bought the Scintilla.
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