what are you listening to?

Bob Boyer said:
from the computer files.
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One of these days I need to hook up the computer. It has files, lots of them. Has an M-audio card to RCA jacks and I have an unused MHDT Havana DAC. Either will work but I have a hard time looking at a chunk of stereo gear with only one tube sticking its head out the top of the unit. Yes, I know it is a dual triode, but still…
 
Why one would add tube distortion to a digital device is beyond my comprehension.
 
J!m said:
Why one would add tube distortion to a digital device is beyond my comprehension.
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It's a psycho acoustic thing.
Think of it in more broad terms - like - people that live-by using a graphic equalizer to shape sound quality.
It's also similar to how some people prefer a little bit of tape hiss in the mix.
Then add nostalgia to the equation...
 
J!m said:
I guess…

I want my reproduced music to sound like actual music.
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Many people say they want their stereo system to sound like live music I’m not in that camp and you did not say you were either. I want my stereo system to sound good to me. I don’t care whether it sounds like live music or not. If the sound pleases me it’s what I want to hear. Three times in the last couple months folks have said it is the best they have heard. A gentleman with a Marantz 7T and 8B that should upgrade his speakers and two of the regular visitors on our Second Saturday audio gigs.

The rig has tone controls in an external unit that might be hooked up on a tape loop, don’t know. It has an EQ sitting in the entrance foyer not connected. It has tubes, but only 2 in the preamp unless I’m using the tube amps. But the tube amps are just the best sounding of the amps I have, not seasoned with lots of tube flavor like the MC225 we compared to it. The preamp is a hybrid so not much tube to that sound. But when I restore the SP-3A I’ll have more than a handful of tubes in the rig.

I don’t think the DAC has much if any tube sound getting In the way of the music. If it did I doubt it would have been so well reviewed.
 
If I’m listening to a live performance (think jazz trio) I simply want it to sound as if the musicians are in the room playing. As if I’m on stage as well along with them. If I’m in another room that it sounds as if the band is in the other room, not a stereo system playing.

This is why I seek out neutral, “analytical” gear. Wide frequency response and low distortion. I know my amps for sure have boatloads of distortion. And I like the sound. But I think when they became mono they barely get out of class A and of course the channel separation both added to the “realism” of the system.

Looking into amps now. Maybe the “magic” will go when I replace the dirty counterpoint amps. I don’t know. But everything else is closing in on that goal of low noise and low distortion.

Need a 55 gallon drum of snake oil now.
 
J!m said:
If I’m listening to a live performance (think jazz trio) I simply want it to sound as if the musicians are in the room playing. As if I’m on stage as well along with them. If I’m in another room that it sounds as if the band is in the other room, not a stereo system playing.

This is why I seek out neutral, “analytical” gear. Wide frequency response and low distortion. I know my amps for sure have boatloads of distortion. And I like the sound. But I think when they became mono they barely get out of class A and of course the channel separation both added to the “realism” of the system.

Looking into amps now. Maybe the “magic” will go when I replace the dirty counterpoint amps. I don’t know. But everything else is closing in on that goal of low noise and low distortion.

Need a 55 gallon drum of snake oil now.
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Maybe a single ended KT120 AMP
 
Tubes have too much distortion. I suspect the bulk of the distortion in the counterpoint amps comes from the tubes, despite being run very easy and them having a minor role. The MosFets do the heavy lifting.
 
I’m liking my rig.

played some Quantic and Q-burns discs, Sade, Santana last couple days. A few different Q discs as I have a handful and liked em on first listen when I rated them on Discogs.

But Curasión by Santana on Multidimensional Warrior I crank and with the 4 dome tweeters, two piezo and two ribbon supertweeters I was comfortable I didn’t have enough power to damage things.
 
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