Hello smodtactical,
Hilde45 is, of course, correct in stating there are no dangers of tubed preamps 'blowing up'. That's just outright false and misinformation. I've used both ss and tube preamps in my systems and, if you're wanting a presentation with added and exaggerated qualities of warmth, tonal richness and palpable dimensionality, I believe it's best just to use a tube preamp that you prefer.
I tend to agree with teo_audio, that finding a ss preamp with all these qualities is likely not even possible. In fact, the trend in preamps over the past decade or so, for both ss and tube designs, seems to be away from additive qualities of any kind and toward an overall much more neutral presentation. Some tube preamp brands, such as Acoustic Research, seem to be more devoted to a more neutral presentation lately than others.
I've discovered I really enjoy and now prefer an overall neutral presentation. I like the fact that it's much closer to the audio ideal of 'a straight wire with gain', it's a more honest approach that hides nothing and evaluating the performance of other system components or changes becomes much easier. Even differences between interconnect and power cables used becomes much more easily discerned.
It's important to understand upfront, however, that a high quality neutral overall presentation will also make it much easier to evaluate the quality level of every recording. When a high degree of transparency is consistently maintained in one's system, it becomes obvious that there's not a consistently maintained high level of quality applied to the recording and mixing of music masters. The truth is that music source recording quality varies significantly, any decently neutral and transparent audio system will reveal these deficiencies in abundant detail and relying on a preamp's additive or coloring qualities to mask, cover up or otherwise remedy these source recording deficiencies will prove to be ineffective.
I believe the optimum system performance strategy is to utilize the highest quality audio system, with an overall neutral presentation, that one can muster and utilize source recordings of the highest quality that are commercially available.
Contrary to popular opinion, this strategy doesn't result in a lack of warmth or other euphonic qualities in an audio system's overall presentation. These qualities will be readily apparent if the system is sufficiently high in quality and neutrality, the music recording is of high quality and the music itself possesses warmth or other euphonic qualities.
Best wishes,
Tim
Hilde45 is, of course, correct in stating there are no dangers of tubed preamps 'blowing up'. That's just outright false and misinformation. I've used both ss and tube preamps in my systems and, if you're wanting a presentation with added and exaggerated qualities of warmth, tonal richness and palpable dimensionality, I believe it's best just to use a tube preamp that you prefer.
I tend to agree with teo_audio, that finding a ss preamp with all these qualities is likely not even possible. In fact, the trend in preamps over the past decade or so, for both ss and tube designs, seems to be away from additive qualities of any kind and toward an overall much more neutral presentation. Some tube preamp brands, such as Acoustic Research, seem to be more devoted to a more neutral presentation lately than others.
I've discovered I really enjoy and now prefer an overall neutral presentation. I like the fact that it's much closer to the audio ideal of 'a straight wire with gain', it's a more honest approach that hides nothing and evaluating the performance of other system components or changes becomes much easier. Even differences between interconnect and power cables used becomes much more easily discerned.
It's important to understand upfront, however, that a high quality neutral overall presentation will also make it much easier to evaluate the quality level of every recording. When a high degree of transparency is consistently maintained in one's system, it becomes obvious that there's not a consistently maintained high level of quality applied to the recording and mixing of music masters. The truth is that music source recording quality varies significantly, any decently neutral and transparent audio system will reveal these deficiencies in abundant detail and relying on a preamp's additive or coloring qualities to mask, cover up or otherwise remedy these source recording deficiencies will prove to be ineffective.
I believe the optimum system performance strategy is to utilize the highest quality audio system, with an overall neutral presentation, that one can muster and utilize source recordings of the highest quality that are commercially available.
Contrary to popular opinion, this strategy doesn't result in a lack of warmth or other euphonic qualities in an audio system's overall presentation. These qualities will be readily apparent if the system is sufficiently high in quality and neutrality, the music recording is of high quality and the music itself possesses warmth or other euphonic qualities.
Best wishes,
Tim