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Sacrilege I know!

Kegger

Kegger

R.I.P. 1/12/1966 - 6/1/2017
I am at the moment using a soild state preamp (B&K PT3 SERIES II) into my
tube amp of choice on any given setup with very nice results.

Curious what my fellow tube mates think of this?
Has anyone else used this combo?

Yes I've used the tube pre with a sand amp but never went the other route.

I did it for 2 reasons, A: I had the preamp from a while back so why not try it!
B: I use tubes all over the place, from a tube preamp to tube cd buffer to my
phono stage and sometimes a tube tuner. With all those tubes in the chain on
some speakers you can get some pretty decent tube rush but then with the B&K
as my preamp it's much quiter now and sounds really good plus a handy remote!

So go ahead scold me now, kick me in the ass and tell me to get the tube pre
back in the mix, I do have like 3 different decent tube pre's by the way!
 
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Love of music + great gear + choices = GREAT!

Kegger-

I'm no expert as to whether tubes or SS could\should be mixed.

However...

I just "converted" to tubes using a Sansui 1000A receiver, a 8" pair of ported Tempest LAB Series 3E, "heil air motion transformer" speakers, a SS subwoofer and SS RR, cassette, CD, DAT, CD burner.

The sub hooks up to the Sansui's "mono-sum" RCA output, and because it taps off past the output transformers, I believe the phase\timing\wave shape is as close to the main speakers as possible and the sub blends in so perfectly, you can't tell a subwoofer is in use!

Bottom line, the system, modest though it is, SOUNDS AWSOM!!

I plan to do my own tube amp (DIY) some day but cash flow is real bad for me just now, but I do have a Phase Linear Mod. 2000 Series Two that needs repair and it would make a great system I think!

Use what you have, mix and match, "No Rules, Just Right" isn't just for Outback Restaurant!

Mark T.
 
That's funny Mark as I have a line on a sansui 1000A receiver that I'm trying to
get and when doing research on it your threads have come up quite a bit.

I'm a tech also and may hit yu up for some of the things you've done to your's!
(First I gotta get some 7591 outputs, but like you funds are low here to)

I also have some AMT speakers with 3 heils in each one!

I'd love to hear your setup!
 
There is nothing wrong with mixing SS with tubes as Long as the impedances match. I run both a Mcintosh C 24 and a C26 into my Dyanco ST 70 (I have a switch) The output load impedance of both preamps is very high purposely to match a tube power amp. A tube power amp input is usually greater than 50K and Mcintosh designed their early preamps to load above 50K, even though they have an output impedance of 200 ohms. At first, I was unsure about this so I contacted Roger Russell who designed the C26 and he was very kind and explained it to me.

B&K makes fine gear and I am sure that if you contacted them it would be possible to find out about how well your preamp matches your power amp.

Clyde
 
Thanks Clyde, Yah the B&K's output impeadance is 200ohms also so it seems fine as
far as matching goes. I did contact B&K to see what they had to say, and of'course
they said it should work like a charm and many people have done so with good results.

I just know some don't like using a solid state preamp and might call it a sin to do so and
connect it to your favorite tube amps. Yu know how tube guys are! (I am one of them) LOL!

I've got good low end and top end so it seems well matched.
 
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Funny, but my ST 70 never sounded as good with a PAS 2 preamp which was designed for it as it does now since I upgraded preamps.

Clyde
 
I'm getting ready to recap my Pat 4 that I run through my 70. I have tube pre's but to me the 4 sounds best right now. For me, thats the bottom line, it sounds best! I try not to get too hung up on what is supposed to sound better. However I too have felt strange about using the SS. I just had an idea, I could mount some tubes on top of the Pat 4 and use a small filament transformer on back to makem glow. :lmao: :lmao: Thanks for helping clear my concious, Jay
 
cfoster said:
There is nothing wrong with mixing SS with tubes as Long as the impedances match. I run both a Mcintosh C 24 and a C26 into my Dyanco ST 70 (I have a switch) The output load impedance of both preamps is very high purposely to match a tube power amp. A tube power amp input is usually greater than 50K and Mcintosh designed their early preamps to load above 50K, even though they have an output impedance of 200 ohms. At first, I was unsure about this so I contacted Roger Russell who designed the C26 and he was very kind and explained it to me.

Clyde
Click to expand...

This is only an issue in one direction, that being a high source Z with a low input Z load. It is a nice bit of salesman's sooodo science which is used as a lever foradditional purchases. That some competent folks repeat it is proof of its wide acceptance...:)

What you don't want to do is load a Dyna PAS with a 10k input Z SS unit. The .25 uF coupling caps will make a wonderful high pass filter. I have actually found that ~50k is a good value for an amps first stage grid resistor( the one which sets the load the pre will see.

And for that matter I still have a SS pre. It's a Kenwood 106 with an EQ. I have some recordings which my father cut on vinyl that *NEED* an EQ.
cheers,
Douglas
 
I think it your lazy mind falling in love with the remote clouding your sonic judgements ;)

By the way if the tube products your using in the all tube setup exhibit audible hiss or tube rush as you call it at your seated position they need better tubes or more work. I have no problem keeping all residue system noise at the output of my amps down below 1.5mV which is absolutely inaudible at 4' to 5' from my 104dB speakers.

*All above does not apply when using tube phone stage with the volume raised fairly high.*

Craig
 
I hear yu craig it's more in my head then anything else.

No you can't hear anything at the listening position, you have to get about a foot
from the speakers and most of the time put your ear right down there.

But the B&K works and sounds great, plus the nifty remote!
 
You gave up on a tube pre-amp because a sand pre has a remote?

Now Kegger, I think we have to talk...

:)
 
Yah see I knew you guy's would come through and tell me I was crazy!

Seriously if you had a really nice tube pre and a really nice solid state pre would
it be a no brainer that you'd go with the tube or would you try both and posably
end up using the solid state guy?

P.S. My tube pre (Anthem Pre 2L has a remote) and I like it's performance very much
 
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Kegger said:
I hear yu craig it's more in my head then anything else.

No you can't hear anything at the listening position, you have to get about a foot
from the speakers and most of the time put your ear right down there.

But the B&K works and sounds great, plus the nifty remote!
Click to expand...

Well if you have to put your ear up to the speaker to hear it then WTF are you doing mentioning it???

You really have lost your mind :banana: :nono: :thumbsdn:

Edit: Oopps forgot the smiley!! :D
 
NOSValves said:
Well if you have to put your ear up to the speaker to hear it then WTF are you doing mentioning it???

You really have lost your mind :banana: :nono: :thumbsdn:
Click to expand...

Hey I'm not the only one that this bugs them! :D

It's more of a (know it's there) then anything hindering the music experience. :music:

YES IT'S IN MY MIND! :D :scratch2:
 
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