State of the Art Solid State vs SOTA Tubes: Which is Moving Faster?

[microstrip]

Individual biases, system gear / synergy, and a host of other variables will impact one's personal preference. This thread reminds me of the endless D vs A discussions that have occurred on WBF in the past. This is another rabbit hole. Have fun.

Unfortunately this thread is intrinsically linked to the endless D vs A discussions. Our appreciation of top modern versus top old designs depends on the format of source you are using. People who are using a vintage turntable and listening to LPs from the 70's surely have a different appreciation from people listening to top digital.

 

[Alrainbow]

Micro ,

Why come in and whine , topics are only suggestions for discussion not religion and law ..

Do you think amps today are superior To those a generation or two ago ..?

Easy answer

 

[Robertd]

My recent experience put tubes ahead of SS. But we’re talking system matching too. Best things I’ve heard in the past several years were shindo and audio research. That being said, I heard an amazing spectral Wilson setup years back. I love spectral, but the last time I heard new spectral was with Magico, it didn’t do it for me compared to Audio Research and audio physic combo. Living in a backwater, In this age of fewer and fewer high end salons, it’s much harder to get a feel for this question. My solid state short list would definitely include spectral, based on past amazing experiences.

 

[caesar]

I do not like syrupy sound and I appreciate a lot the Aida's and the XLF's driven by the audio Research 750's - in fact the sound was very dynamic and lively in the few times I listened to such pairing. A few friends own Audio Research / Wilson and it is not syrupy at all ...
If it was not for the heat and tube count I would still own the REF610 or the REF750.

Try playing some Led Zeppelin on Aida with Audio Research 750. It's truly pathetic.

 

[Alrainbow]

Try playing some Led Zeppelin on Aida with Audio Research 750. It's truly pathetic.

Which is , The Aida or the AR750 ..?

 

[caesar]

Unfortunately this thread is intrinsically linked to the endless D vs A discussions. Our appreciation of top modern versus top old designs depends on the format of source you are using. People who are using a vintage turntable and listening to LPs from the 70's surely have a different appreciation from people listening to top digital.

Looking at this hobby from a higher level perspective, this is a hobby based on subjectivity. Everyone brings different prior experiences, assumptions, perspectives, beliefs about finances, backgrounds, available real estate, different goals, and imaginations of realism etc. Unless people listen together and add meaning to some of the vocabulary, as well as compare similarities and differences, people will continue to talk past each other

 

[caesar]

Which is , The Aida or the AR750 ..?

The pairing doesn't work. The Aida needs real beitzim to drive it. One good combo I heard, Soulution works really well with Sonus

 

[Down Under]

The pairing doesn't work. The Aida needs real beitzim to drive it. One good combo I heard, Soulution works really well with Sonus.


I certainly agree with you as I heard the 750 with Alexia 2s and they could not drive that speaker very well.
Sounded slow,plodding and thick.

 

[DonH50]

Class D amplification has improved dramatically in the past few years ("few" relative, maybe last 10) with advances in topology (especially feedback/feedforward) implementation, switching speed, and so forth. I'd argue, whether you like the sound or not, that is probably the amplifier architecture that has developed most rapidly in the past decade or so. It is almost exclusively solid-state, though technically you could implement it with tubes (and some do albeit in other application spaces than audio).

For low-level circuits, digital signal processing (again virtually all SS) for everything from crossovers to room correction, plus all the audio and video processing modes from Dolby and the like for higher resolution and greater dynamic range, has advanced fairly rapidly.

Again, just the rate of advancement as I see it (my opinion), not saying what anyone feels is "better".

IME/IMO - Don

 

[microstrip]

Looking at this hobby from a higher level perspective, this is a hobby based on subjectivity. Everyone brings different prior experiences, assumptions, perspectives, beliefs about finances, backgrounds, available real estate, different goals, and imaginations of realism etc. Unless people listen together and add meaning to some of the vocabulary, as well as compare similarities and differences, people will continue to talk past each other

The pairing doesn't work. The Aida needs real beitzim to drive it. One good combo I heard, Soulution works really well with Sonus

I find that your first comment applies particularly well to your meaningless answer concerning the Aida. People have been using the The Sonus Faber (Fenice) and the Aida's with Audio Research REF610 and REF750. These amplifiers are extremely powerful and dynamic and properly driven by an adequate source can fill a large room with both the Sonus Fabers with a realistic musical scene - surely very different from solid state.

BTW, many people think that Audio Research can't drive the Aida's because they listened to the REF210 or REF250's with the Aida's - and yes, they can't drive them.

 

[microstrip]

(...) I certainly agree with you as I heard the 750 with Alexia 2s and they could not drive that speaker very well.
Sounded slow,plodding and thick.

Well, then you should blame the guy who set the demo. I have had the REF750's and the Alexia 1 in my room for some time and the system was a winner.

 

[CKKeung]

IMHO This Alieno 250 Limited OTL/OCL poweramp must be in the very frontier of tube amps!
http://www.acusticaapplicata.com/news.php?lang=eng

 

[Lagonda]

Well, then you should blame the guy who set the demo. I have had the REF750's and the Alexia 1 in my room for some time and the system was a winner.

And how much rock do you listen to Franscisco ?

 

[morricab]

On the outer frontier of amplification...

http://aries-cerat.eu/products/amplifiers/ianus-series/geminae

http://aries-cerat.eu/products/amplifiers/ianus-series/essentia

 

[andromedaaudio]

Power supply has a lot to do with it especially with tubes .
Who has the biggest powersupply per tube ???
I think CAT . But i m not sure .
Is this alieno bottom box the powersupply?
Instant reserves in the buffer makes for fast amplification

 

[microstrip]

And how much rock do you listen to Franscisco ?

I just ended a Genesis cycle this weekend, I kept Nursery Crime for the end. But IMHO the finale of Shostakovitch 5th has much more energy than any rock - at less an audio spectrometer says so. People should look at such instruments while listening - they can help to break audiophile myths.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Francisco, Nursery Crime is my favourite Genesis album. Despite it having a dry acoustic in places, it's plenty dynamic. The end of The Musical Box, and the bass showcase/tom tom pattern in the instrumental break in Fountain Of Salmacis. Plenty to give a system a good workout.

The Musical Box imho is one of the great rock songs, top ten all time prog.

 

[microstrip]

Francisco, Nursery Crime is my favourite Genesis album. Despite it having a dry acoustic in places, it's plenty dynamic. The end of The Musical Box, and the bass showcase/tom tom pattern in the instrumental break in Fountain Of Salmacis. Plenty to give a system a good workout.

The Musical Box imho is one of the great rock songs, top ten all time prog.

Now that you say it, it becomes more clear why I sometimes pick this album to diagnose a system. Genesis can't sound syrupy in a good system, including Carpet Crawlers. But after listening to rock with the German Physics Gaudi's played really loud our systems sound like kitchen radios . I recently read they are releasing a Gaudi mk3 soon.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Carpet Crawlers not on this album.
Genesis et al thrive on triodes/Zus. And especially on LP.

And Nursery Crime has been an album I return to again and again to test the water whenever I make a change in my system.

 

[morricab]

Power supply has a lot to do with it especially with tubes .
Who has the biggest powersupply per tube ???
I think CAT . But i m not sure .
Is this alieno bottom box the powersupply?
Instant reserves in the buffer makes for fast amplification

Not just the size but also the ESR of the supply matters...