[bpape]

As always, YMMV.

Bryan

[woodsyi]

When I hear two great pre-amps with realistic and neutral sound, the tubed one almost always have more phatness then the ss one.  It's as if the tube uses 3/4" pipe and the ss use 1/2" pipe to pump the music. 


This has strictly been a subjective judgment and your mileage may not only vary but take you to different destination. 

[doug s.]

scotty, i agree it's much easier to match a preamp to a system than an amp - tube or s/s, imo.  the amp/speaker interface is always critical. 

for me, i do not worry about whether or not a tube amp can do bass, i have had subwoofers, actively crossed to mains for ~15 years now.  subs driven by s/s amps, of course!   

doug s.

[Freo-1]

scotty, i agree it's much easier to match a preamp to a system than an amp - tube or s/s, imo.  the amp/speaker interface is always critical. 

for me, i do not worry about whether or not a tube amp can do bass, i have had subwoofers, actively crossed to mains for ~15 years now.  subs driven by s/s amps, of course!   

doug s.

What I've noticed is that there is a overall synergy to a system, and everything plays a big part. No question that the speaker/amp combination is huge, as highly regarded amps and speakers may not sound good together. Bob Carver called it "sonic transfer function", and is extremely important.

What surprised me was just how much the preamp can improve the overall system.  Believe me, I've had LOTS of different preamps (tubed and solid state) over the years, and just recently have come to appreciate just how much the preamp can improve the oveall playback chain.

The impedance match from the preamp to the amp can also make a difference (it is sometimes overlooked).

There really is no one right answer here. It's whatever works in your given application.   

[Freo-1]

As always, YMMV.

Bryan

Absolutely! That's part of the fun of this hobby. There are lots of right answers (even if they are sometimes elusive) 

[andyr]

The impedance match from the preamp to the amp can also make a difference (it is sometimes overlooked).

Hi Freo,

Can you elucidate as to what you mean by the impedance match (between preamp & amp)?

Do you mean simply making sure the Zout of the pre is significantly lower (ie. <10, preferably <100) than the Zin of the amp ... or is the optimum match more complex than this?

Regards,

Andy

[Freo-1]

The impedance match from the preamp to the amp can also make a difference (it is sometimes overlooked).

Hi Freo,

Can you elucidate as to what you mean by the impedance match (between preamp & amp)?

Do you mean simply making sure the Zout of the pre is significantly lower (ie. <10, preferably <100) than the Zin of the amp ... or is the optimum match more complex than this?

Regards,

Andy

Hi Andy:

Here is a link that provides additional information:

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?htech&1206148687

[Bill Baker]

The impedance match from the preamp to the amp can also make a difference (it is sometimes overlooked)

 Even moreso than people sometimes realize. Many preamps will work nicely with a variety of amplifiers depending on their specs but sometimes we come across combinations from different manufacturers that simply seem to be made for each other.

 You would expect most manufacturers to design their gear to match, that's what we are doing, but this is not always the case.

 Not only do you have to look at the output impedance of the preamp (among other things) but you also have to take into account the input impedance and sensitivity and gain of the amplifier.

[Freo-1]

The impedance match from the preamp to the amp can also make a difference (it is sometimes overlooked)

 Even moreso than people sometimes realize. Many preamps will work nicely with a variety of amplifiers depending on their specs but sometimes we come across combinations from different manufacturers that simply seem to be made for each other.

 You would expect most manufacturers to design their gear to match, that's what we are doing, but this is not always the case.

 Not only do you have to look at the output impedance of the preamp (among other things) but you also have to take into account the input impedance and sensitivity and gain of the amplifier.

most excellent point.

Here is another, more detailed link:

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/audio/imped.html