I have to disagree slightly . The SET sound can in it's totality all be explained within the amps distortion pattern and output impedance and nonlinear behaviour . This may sound "better" to some but this is not transparent treatment of the signal . It's a sound effect IMO .
I could accept the SET circus if they where frank about what they are doing , " we have this pleasing distortion for you " instead of claiming magic properties of the unknown that somehows sounds " better " than op amps and transistors ? I have heard some of the tube stuff I does actually do some things really well , but it is an artifice something added by the amps not inherent in the signal . What should make most people sceptical is the sometime radical differences that you get , the best equipment should simply converge to similar sound so similar that it is mostly the recording itself you hear . Speakers will probably never get there , it's still pick your poison . I would argue that good signal level equipment is there already ,distortion and noise levels ~100dB below signal . I would like irrefutable proof that any such difference can be detected under controlled circumstances by human beings before it would be interesting to delve in to the finer design details or product specifics ? There is a need by some audiophiles to make everything sound good , it can't . I think that's the basis for much off the " upgrade " fever that get many of us , to fix the unfixable . The sonic and artistic choices picked by artist and producers are what they are , sometime it sounds very abrasive to some while others love it . Its here that silly notion of " pure " equipment gets to me , no simple eq or tone controlls to simply adjust when you disagree with the producer :) instead you go the " expensive tone controll route " simply weird engineering IMO . The acoustic is what it is for many of us , ( if you can afford it build a separate listening room 100% acoustically treated , this will cost less than the most expensive high end anyway ). So we still love to buy new audio gear , how to rationalise that ? I love the stuff if I could afford it I would keep everything I buy as collectibles :) But I do think of 30000$ DAC as frauds or in best case painfully inefficient design and production methods . Or preamps in silly price ranges that are not really preamps any more ! Just a line stage and volume no phono stage no tone controlls no balance no mono or phase inversion switch no gain adjustment ? -------------------------------------------------------------------- Main hifi: Touch + CIA PS +MeridianG68J MeridianHD621 MeridianG98DH 2 x MeridianDSP5200 MeridianDSP5200HC 2 xMeridianDSP3100 +Rel Stadium 3 sub. Bedroom/Office: Boom Kitchen: Touch + powered Fostex PM0.4 Misc use: Radio (with battery) iPad1 with iPengHD & SqueezePad (in storage SB3, reciever ,controller ) server HP proliant micro server N36L with ClearOS Linux http://people.xiph.org/~xiphmont/demo/neil-young.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mnyb's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=4143 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=99360 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
