Pass Labs X250

You may find the added texture of tubes a bit more enjoyable as well as a more plesant tubed mid-range. I find tubed mid-range is hard to beat with SS....but thats just my opinion. Raven...like I once mentioned to Peabody, tube lovers gotta have tubes in the chain some place....just don't seem right without them.

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Originally Posted by frenchmon

You may find the added texture of tubes a bit more enjoyable as well as a more plesant tubed mid-range. I find tubed mid-range is hard to beat with SS....but thats just my opinion. Raven...like I once mentioned to Peabody, tube lovers gotta have tubes in the chain some place....just don't seem right without them.

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Thats why I like my tube Preamp and tube DAC.

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Originally Posted by frenchmon

You may find the added texture of tubes a bit more enjoyable as well as a more plesant tubed mid-range. I find tubed mid-range is hard to beat with SS....but thats just my opinion. Raven...like I once mentioned to Peabody, tube lovers gotta have tubes in the chain some place....just don't seem right without them.

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OTOH I never missed my former tube preamp.

So, do you subscribe to the theory that tubes in the repro chain, e.g. a tube preamp, can mask defects elsewhere in the chain, e.g. in the power amp?

My theory is that they can. However Morricab at Audio Asylum articulately insists that masking doesn't happen, and that the only real solution is to remove disagreeable sound at source. In the above example according to him, one must change the power amp if it is the source of the problem.

I may be thinking of the wrong use of "mask" but tubes don't necessarily mask anything. I've heard tube gear that can be as revealing as solid state. Certain tube gear can change the presentation or maybe even the sonic balance but if it's quality tube gear nothing should be masked.

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Originally Posted by Mr Peabody

I may be thinking of the wrong use of "mask" but tubes don't necessarily mask anything. I've heard tube gear that can be as revealing as solid state. Certain tube gear can change the presentation or maybe even the sonic balance but if it's quality tube gear nothing should be masked.

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To clarify what I mean by "mask", I don't mean to imply that the tubes veil the sound in perceptible way. Rather my hypothesis is, specifically, that the relatively high 2nd and/or 3rd order harmonic distortion produced by tubes, which is inoffensive, masks the irritating higher order harmonic distortion that is typical of solid state because of the use of negative feedback in s/s devices.

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Originally Posted by Feanor

To clarify what I mean by "mask", I don't mean to imply that the tubes veil the sound in perceptible way. Rather my hypothesis is, specifically, that the relatively high 2nd and/or 3rd order harmonic distortion produced by tubes, which is inoffensive, masks the irritating higher order harmonic distortion that is typical of solid state because of the use of negative feedback in s/s devices.

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What difference does it make as long as it sounds good? Every speaker and just about every piece of gear sounds different. And recorded music sounds different than if you were listening in the studio.

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Originally Posted by Feanor

To clarify what I mean by "mask", I don't mean to imply that the tubes veil the sound in perceptible way. Rather my hypothesis is, specifically, that the relatively high 2nd and/or 3rd order harmonic distortion produced by tubes, which is inoffensive, masks the irritating higher order harmonic distortion that is typical of solid state because of the use of negative feedback in s/s devices.

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It has been my experience, the opposite with a very good tube rig. IF you have good tubes, in your amp/preamp, they should be very clear and transparent. IF so they will let you hear the grain in your inferior SS in the chain. The better the tube/SS and the amp/preamp/integrated is, the more reveling it will be...and thus, your inferior CD's and records will be exposed as well. I find a good tube tells the truth.

When played at louder levels, my NOS tubes have exposed my $600 phono stage as having grain. Some time next year I will have to bring it up to speed as my other gear. But I only discovered it when I went to a expensive KOBE TEN tube. I had no idea what the issue was until I asked around. My amp/preamp is transparent and will let the sound of my sources pass through. My Rotel had a very strong house sound that imparted its character upon my CDP. Not so with the Vincent. I remember I had a Bel Canto DAC/preamp that also let me hear my CDP, but not the Rotel.

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Originally Posted by frenchmon

It has been my experience, the opposite with a very good tube rig. IF you have good tubes, in your amp/preamp, they should be very clear and transparent. IF so they will let you hear the grain in your inferior SS in the chain. The better the tube/SS and the amp/preamp/integrated is, the more reveling it will be...and thus, your inferior CD's and records will be exposed as well. I find a good tube tells the truth.

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No question that the better the amp/preamp, the more clear & more transparent the sound.

But I don't think that what you're saying doesn't conflicts with the idea that the tube distortion profile (let's call it) of the tube preamp "masks" the less agreeable distortion profile of the power amp.

I think we are all on the same page but differing on terminology. I have found with tube gear like Octave Audio and solid state like Pass that a very enjoyable sound can be achieved via both technologies with no loss. Acknowledging audio is subjective and tastes may vary :).

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Originally Posted by Feanor

No question that the better the amp/preamp, the more clear & more transparent the sound.

But I don't think that what you're saying doesn't conflicts with the idea that the tube distortion profile (let's call it) of the tube preamp "masks" the less agreefffffable distortion profile of the power amp.

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