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Tube versus SS


Since I just installed some rather expensive NOS 6922 Telefunken tubes in my Phono-preamp, that yielded outstanding results, I decided to compare CD to Phono.

From the best of "Jacintha", CD, I selected "Danny Boy". Her voice emerged deep center stage from a jet black noise free back ground. It sounded more like what I expected from the analog.

That was followed by special LP's of Dinah Washington that had recently arrived. Those LP's were everything I expected with the NOS 6922 Telefunken Tubes in the Phono, but the surprise was the fact that I couldn't tell the two apart; both were outstanding.

What may surprise you, is the fact that I attribute these outstanding results from the COVID 19 "lock-down" which has given us the quietest "grid" ever in history. That means those of us with lesser means have the same AC power as the richest who can afford expensive AC power "clean uppers".

BTW, I have made extensive comparisons to recordings made before and after, the lock-down that confirm just how much of a difference it's made. I must admit that I had doubts about expensive power conditioners, but this confirms that fantastic results come from taming the wild AC.

It's my belief that we can not achieve better results than we have from the current "quiet grid", which means power conditioner or no power conditioner, we are all presently getting the same results.

Could it be that the dominant factor when comparing tube and SS when they both are of comparable quality is "The quality of the AC"?
   
orpheus10
musicloversaudio's avatar
musicloversaudio
44 posts
 
OP must have truly awful speakers LOL
skypunk's avatar
skypunk
499 posts
 
Battery power is the best.

I run my entire system off of 10 Group 60 Batteries in series with a DSR Charger.

Sarcasm in this time of Anarchy, BTW must suck to still be on lock-down we are rolling down here in Texas now....well as much as we can.


jond's avatar
jond
5,660 posts
 
I will say I've found my system sounding better during lockdown because the overall noise floor is reduced. I don't mean power so much as outside noises, I'm in downtown DC, many fewer cars and trucks, fewer people talking on the street. I think that's helped and maybe the power has been cleaner who knows. What this has to do with tubes vs ss I have no idea but I am all tubes here.
orpheus10 OP
8,668 posts
 

Jond, this has nothing to do with tubes versus SS, that should have been tubes versus digital, but in regard to the essence of my post, it's primarily about the "grid" and the overall improvements I'm enjoying in everything. It's also about new 6922 Telefunken tubes in my phono pre.

I've been on a solo flight into audio bliss for so long that I just remembered that in order to communicate this to others, I will have to slow down and compose my thoughts.

To begin with, I down-load everything to external hard-drive and then settle back in my listening chair for a long time and focus on nothing but the music. While listening to some music I had just down-loaded, I noticed that it sounded appreciably better than what was already on hard-drive, that's when I began to try and find reasons for this sudden improvement.

While in both cases 6922 Telefunken tubes were used in the phono-pre, these were different tubes. (that could explain some improvement in vinyl, but not in a CD that was already on the hard-drive)

In the case of most people, if they turned their rigs on, and there was an improvement in the audio, although they did nothing to cause this improvement, they would attribute it to ear wax before, and continue on. But I know for certain the relationship between a "quiet grid" and better audio. There is one other factor that could make my improvements more pronounced, and that's my use of the computer; since they have the weakest power supplies, an improvement in the grid would show up more.

It's for certain people with power conditioners wouldn't notice any difference, because there would be none; how can you improve on perfection?

The bottom line is the fact that this grid thing is nothing new, it's just that not everyone has observed it.





orpheus10 OP
8,668 posts
 

Fuzztone, I only use 12AU7 or 6922 or 6dj8; could one of those be replaced by a 6FQ7?
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