But then whats the point :) If a tube design does not sound "tubes" then you could cut the cost 1/20 and use some op amps and transistors. Thats the catch if you dont want the colouring then use modern components it's cheaper and more reliable and actually produces even better results . That we under some circumstances cant tell the designs apart is not a testament to how god the tube design is but to the limits of our hearing ability .
I have not owned tube power amps myself only store demoed the likes of VTL quicksilver and audio-research et al and some triode's and a whole bunch of other I forgot the name off , imo all transformer coupled amps have problems that are easily solved by not using a tube/transformer design in the first place . SET amps are very flabby ,but any amp with transformer output can not help but have low damping factor which will impact impulse response . The Rouge output impedance is good -for a tube design- as the measurements will have it ? The performance is not what i expect of an amp in this price bracket http://www.stereophile.com/content/rogue-audio-m-180-monoblock-power-amplifier-measurements is this design really transparent ? or does it have a sonic signature . I would not even try with these distortion figures . I dont like when the tester have to make up conditions to the measurements by things like -it's good for a tube design- . That's the clown treatment either it measures good or not . An amp could use "quantum bits" tubes, transistors, cog wheels ? performance is performance regardless ,so the design method should not really matter . But the trends is unmistakable tube amps performs worse and cost more and use more energy what more reasons to ditch the whole concept do we need ? I have heard tube preamps from audio research and a friend had one that does not sound tube at all ,but then they are utterly pointless as they only managed to get close to op amp performance but with more expensive methods ? why . My limited audition to tube power amps have not at all impressed me the store demos have not made me a believer ,actually the opposite I never heard the magic only the problems ? A likewise bizarre experience was a store demo of some CD player where you could select tube or transistor output , 10 other people where very impressed but then there was me :) all I heard was the midrange getting sligtly shouty and muddy at the same time not a big difference actually very small but for the worse, it removed clarity . I guess that when voices sounds like someone is holding his/her hand 2 inches in front of their mount is thought to sound more intimate and closer to some but I only hear an artefact . This is simply not my thing at all ? To be perfectly clear I dont think I can fully rationalise my own buying decisions either they are also fraught with a lot of assumptions and wild guesses and errors and bias, mostly because the lack of good and readily available information. Luckily we have the internet and should use it . It's a strange hobby when the magazines that should cover it are almost 100% against our best interest and almost exclusively shill pseudo-science . In other luxury hobbies the interest are roughly parallel and dont clash to often the god stuff is more expensive even to expensive but you get something for it . HiFi is the only hobby i know of when you actually can get nothing or less when picking from the top shelf ? In other words in other hobbies it is money in selling better performance in hifi it's easier to peddle make believe to dreamers . And have I thoroughly derailed the tread yet ? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mnyb's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=4143 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=98249
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