From my testing;
these models work extremely well with solid-state Power
Amplifiers to smooth out the inherit harsh forward
sounding presentation that transistors have. When I say
'work well with', I do not mean take the place of and/or
cure their design flaws.
Many of my more
inexperienced Audiophile customers get themselves a
little more than slightly confused when it comes to
upgrading their systems. While, most of the Tube
Pre-Amplifiers I have sold mate very well with Solid
State Power Amplifier's this is just the beginning of
the iceberg.
Adding a nice
Vacuum Tube front end will not even scratch the surface
when it comes to that Tube smoothness and openness you
are all searching for. The majority of the benefit is in
the Power Amplifier section of your system, not the
Pre-Amplifier section. Yes, Tube Pre-Amplifiers do make
a difference but so do Power Leads and better quality
Interconnects.
So why do so many
of my customers buy Tube Pre-Amplifiers from me to drive
their big arse Krells and Classé Amplifiers then? My
feelings are that they are not ready to accept the
truth. They want to take the easy road instead of the
right road. I know this because in the end they always
come back to me and end up going down the Tube Pre +
Tube Power route anyway. It only ends up costing them
twice as much to do things their way instead of the best
way, but they feel better because it was their idea not
mine.
