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Digital Source with Tube Amplification

For perspective, I will be turning 36 next week so I didn't grow up listening to vinyl and have never really experienced tube amplification. I am getting a Yaqin EL34 tube integrated in the next couple of weeks and my dad thought it would be fun to use his vintage turntable as a source for a true analog listening experience. Logistics will likely make this difficult as we live states apart.

This discussion made me wonder what other peoples experiences have been using different combinations of gear. On the analog end you have a turntable and tube amplifier and on the digital end you have a CD player and a solid state amplifier.

I am curious if the people that prefer the analog systems enjoy the sound of a turntable with a solid state amplifier or a CD player with a tube amplifier more. Is one combination more analog sounding than the other in your experience?

Obviously, every experience and system is different so I am just looking for general observations based of your experiences.
mceljo
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,846 posts
 
Any combo can be really good or less so. The devil is all in the details. Getting a good match first between amp and speakers matters most perhaps. Then there is the quality of the source. There is usually a lot more involved to get a turntable set up right and sounding its best than there is with a CD player. So generalizations are tough. IT can all be really good or less so. It all depends. On much more than merely if CD or record, tube or SS. Those are just two common topics that get a lot of buzz these days among "audiophiles" and that generate relatively strong opinions either way. But you know how far an opinion will get you, right?
mattmiller's avatar
mattmiller
1,479 posts
 
It all comes down to the speakers one uses as to the AMP one HAS to use. SO with that said...Yes I love the sound of a Tube Preamp with my SS AMP. It is a great combo and my speakers love it. I can play Vinyl or cd's and I still get a nice rich sound that has plenty of Umph! It can take a while to get the sound dialed in with the right Cartridge with the right Phono Pre and the right transport/dac or universal player or SACD/cd player. AND dont forget about Cables! O and how a bout that room.We might need room treatments to absorb those nasty reflections. All this stuff really makes a big difference with the sound. Its a beautiful thing when it all comes together! Good Luck.
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,230 posts
 
I use a SS DAC with tube preamp and amplifiers and just love the organic gestalt and deeply emotional involvement it provides ( I had used a turntable happily for many years).
Charles,
jtcf's avatar
jtcf
1,589 posts
 
Mapman pretty much summed it up.It's all in the synergy of your particular system.Personally I've ended up with all tubed components,cdp,pre,and amps.The more tubes,the more organic and enjoyable the music is for me.
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