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Hi Doug,Sorry to belabour an issue. And I am not trying to be disagreeable. But I don't think I can agree with you on a point. "colouration" does not necessarily mean something is not accurate or neutral"I would have to say that is exactly what coloration means. It is a change from what is captured on a recorded performance. I see a continuum that looks like thisromantic---------neutral------------analyticalif "colouration" means more true to what real live music sounds like, then i am all for it.It seems we may be discussing different points here. I see colorations as a consistant skewing of the tonal balance of a system, or recording. By that definition, a coloration cannot make a recorded performance sound like the live one that was originally recorded. Also, what coloration is consistently absent in the original recording that is provided by the tube buffer? If you ue a tube buffer in a system that already contains tubes, then why doesn't the other tubes provide the same coloration?An extra stage of gain, such as a tube buffer cannot increase the level of detail retrieval that a source has. Therefore, it cannot improve its sonic abilities. Now, if you enjoy the presentation of a tube buffer, that makes sense to me. I suspect you find the alterations to the original source pleasing, and they are consistant enough to create the illusion of real music for you. However, this is not what I would call neutral, or accurate. One important point to consider is this. Re-creating "live" music is a stated goal of many audio enthusiasts. It was an idea coined by at least one major high end publication in the last century. But in reality, we cannot re-create a live performance, all we can hope to do is replay a musical performance captured in a recording venue. We are limited by the recording process, and the abilities and goals of the recording engineers. At best we can re-create a performance, but not live music. A small but important distinction in my opinion. Discussions like this are important. Critically analyzing our opinions, and values is the only way to broaden our perspective. I much prefer an intelligent discussion of these subjects than a rah-rah session where everybody gives their friends backslaps, and congratulates them on their obvious good taste. RegardsMister Pig
I’m with you on most of your preceding post, except for:“If you use a tube buffer in a system that already contains tubes, then why doesn't the other tubes provide the same coloration?”I believe it’s a given that different tubes provide different “voicings”.I’d say that we really can’t and wouldn’t want to recreate a studio recording, with all the “tricks” played. But I’d also say that we should want to fully recreate live recordings, however the limits of our technology are not capable of that. Flavoring the sound with tubes is akin to having your steak seasoned in any number of ways. How it tastes is already affected by the method of preserving and cooking it (I suppose some real purists might even want it uncooked). Beyond that some will take it without seasonings while others would baulk that too much seasoning ruins it. I’d say that every component in the recording/playback chain can provide its own “voicing”, but tubes, cartridges, drivers, room, and dare I say our own sense of hearing are the most notorious factors. With all those flavoring factors already at work, I’d vote not to add another.
I would like to hear from owners of tube buffers and opinions about the benefits to their systems. ( drawbacks too). Also, if there are any reasonably good DIY kits for such. grazie.
Well, to finish off the topic ( with thanks to all for suggestions), I purchased the Yagin tube buffer. For 175.00, what the heck. I've had it in for about a month. The total cost was about 50.00 more condisering I had to purchase a decent second pair of interconnects to hook it up. Interesting. There are some CD's where the music can present a greater mellowness and a less congested slightly microphonic and foreward sound but not quite to the degree I've noticed from a tube pre-amp. The well recorded CD's are perfectly well played without the device turned on. It seems to excel in the music from the 50's and 60's , combo jazz and vocal. I have rolled in a NOS RCA 6922 tube made god knows when and it sounds different but not better than the stock Chinese tube or JAN 6922 replacement. A stock EH tube is not particularly good for this device. sounds tinney. Its a cool device, not harmful in the least and fun. dk
I'm just jumping into a Bolder modified SB3 and they highly recommend the Burson Audio Buffer. They are $325 +/-, solid state, from Australia and sell on eBay. Looks very promising. Has anyone evaluated one of these units?http://www.bursonaudio.com/Kenreau
That's what I was afraid of... what power supply are you using with the SB3? I've got a modded Elpac on order. That Ultimate PS sure looks like it is the final frontier, but I can't justify another $1k on a PS. Looking back at what it takes to make a $300 source sound good is kind of sickening...
