this old technology is a mystery to me - how can this bulb sound so nice?
i've been raised with tubes in our appliances - TV, Stereo, and Radio - when transistors came into being, i remember my dad giving away these tube equipment, and we lived happily ever-after
so i thought.
i have been a solidstate guy for more than 20 years and i thought i'd stay that way, but when my curiousity was bit by those chinese tube amps that sell relatively cheap but where beautifully-made, i had to try, and by george (not Tatang
) i was hooked (on tubes, that is): it was like finding something of great price that i was willing to sell all just to get one... that's how i feel.
i have now crossed-over the bright side
for two reasons:
- tube pieces appear to me as very serviceable
- the new SS units, specifically those using SMT (surface mount technology like cellphones) appear to me like disposables (or try to buy a circuit board if one conks-out... i mean try it...)
i could be wrong.
but to my ears, these hot bulbs produce music like no other SS gears i've owned before. i don't know why. i know there were a lot of technical treatise produced trying to explain this, but all i care is the music i hear (and the thought that i can have my unit repaired, not disposed, when it needs to be).
but searching for NOS or fine tubes is a journey, a saga, on its own.
i initially thought going tube will make my life simpler, and in a way, it did; but the myriad of tube selections is something i was not prepared for, but a welcome treat
...
can i "upgrade" my SS-circuit so i can voice it the way i want? i don't think so (but i could be wrong)... why would some people convert their SS CDP with tube outs? there must be a "beautiful" reason to do that.
should you go tube?
maybe you should.
.e.