Can one have too many tubes in the signal path? (You certainly can't have too many in the tube bin, of course.)
But the question occurs, for those of us who have VTAs and tubes4hifi lash-ups: are additional tubes in the input signal path, such as a tube-buffered CD player or DAC really necessary and at what point might one be inducing too much distortion?
Tubes distort, but in a nice way. I liken it to the streets here in Wallace, Idaho, now that the snow has fallen and compacted. The snow fills up the chuck-holes so you get a much smoother ride (analogue) versus the (digital) slamming of your tyres and axles into every little bump in summer.
The VTAs et. al seem to act like the snow in the pot-holes, smoothing out the rough spots while preserving the ride.
I'm running a s/s Rega CD player into the SP-13 and Holgerized M-125s. (In the den running sand amps, I use a tube-buffered CD player (Ah!Tjoeb)).
Just wondering what advantage, if any, would be obtained by arming the VTA rack with tube CD/DAC inputs. Philosophically, I think it's overkill. Thoughts?
-d-
But the question occurs, for those of us who have VTAs and tubes4hifi lash-ups: are additional tubes in the input signal path, such as a tube-buffered CD player or DAC really necessary and at what point might one be inducing too much distortion?
Tubes distort, but in a nice way. I liken it to the streets here in Wallace, Idaho, now that the snow has fallen and compacted. The snow fills up the chuck-holes so you get a much smoother ride (analogue) versus the (digital) slamming of your tyres and axles into every little bump in summer.
The VTAs et. al seem to act like the snow in the pot-holes, smoothing out the rough spots while preserving the ride.
I'm running a s/s Rega CD player into the SP-13 and Holgerized M-125s. (In the den running sand amps, I use a tube-buffered CD player (Ah!Tjoeb)).
Just wondering what advantage, if any, would be obtained by arming the VTA rack with tube CD/DAC inputs. Philosophically, I think it's overkill. Thoughts?
-d-