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Originally Posted by cscmc1
Wait 'til you hear a 300B amp through some full-range drivers!
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Yah - I know people are really wild for that sound, but what's good starts to get very subjective. I used to do diving work and my ears are far from perfect. Still, bad sound really bothers me; and even though I know I'm not getting the whole picture, I enjoy better stuff.
I hear more difference coming from different preamps than I do amps. The low powered stuff are in a world of their own and I'm wondering if it isn't a case of coloration.
For a long time I used a phono amp from NYAL called the SuperIt that Mod Squad had reworked and sold as a phono amp before they came out with their own. They came out with a SS unit, so that should tell you what they think of tubes. I reworked it further and added a better power supply. Anyway, got a great warm tube sound from that no matter what I played it through.
My MC cartridge went south and I replaced it with a cheap little Grado MM that Van Alstine reworks, plugged it into the MM only preamp, and took the SuperIt out of the chain.
Sounds great to me, even though every typical reviewer would laugh. I suspect that is more because the reviewers are trying to sell product, and that little two step just removed about $3/4,000 from the cost of the system. Keeping it simple has it's adavantages, and these full range systems eliminate a ton of complexity. I think some of the very old folded horn theater speaker setups are highly coveted by that crowd.