Your favourite Preamp Tube Type

I play drums in an unmic’d setting, with other instruments in the room. No system I’ve heard can reproduce the instruments in a natural setting. Now, the thought that less is more, well, I would tend to agree with that; however, for what purpose? to reproduce an, in the room, experience... tailoring a sound to ones likings...

what I can almost guarantee is: very few people actually sit in the studio, live setting, or whatever, of a recording. Much less, know the sound after it’s been mastered.

With that mindset, I am always trying to recreate a sound that I enjoy, whether I have more or less components in the chain...

 

Around here? No......I still love my 6SN7-based preamp and it stills sound significantly better than no preamp. I use it with a KT88-based amp that I also love and have not had a desire to change those components in a couple of years. I am looking for a new DAC though....

 

Yea, I’m going to be looking for a new DAC later this year. I’m not sure what I want. Currently, I use the inexpensive Schiit Modi 3.

 

I am looking at the Holo Audio May KTE. The plan is to feed it using Roon/HQPlayer...probably everything upsampled to DSD256....

 

yea, that is going to be out of my comfort, price wise…. I’m going to be looking for something sub1K, most likely…

 

Bifrost 2…..

 

that appears to be the logical candidate. I am seeing a lot of good reviews on the Aires 2.

 

It was years ago that I found an end game set of tubes for the preamp section of my integrated hybrid Bada.

I missed out on buying Tung Sol RP 6SN7s but I noticed that the predecessor tube - 6F8G was still reasonable in price aqnd from those who had both types of Tung Sol that the 6F8G was sonically better.

I managed to buy from Hong Kong 5 used RPs @ $80 and have only needed to use just one - it's still working fine. I also got into buying the Russian mil. spec. 1578 (6SN7). These would be nigh on perfect but as one buyer said - 'top and bottom are incredible but there's something weird going on in the mids' - I agree totally with his description.

The Bada uses 3 tubes for the preamp, the first as a driver and the other 2 as output. Using 3 Tung Sol RPs was an overwhelming emotional experience that I'm sure many would enjoy. However when I used just 1 TS for driver and 2 1578s as output that was the end game for me. The Tung Sol filled in where the 1578 lacked and that was it - a complete sound that suited all types of music.

If I could find someone with real experience and an open mind to design a preamp that used both natural convection current and a computer fan to cool both the tubes and other components then i would be very happy.