Tube Pre w/ Receiver

[jimmythang]

Sorry for the newbie quastion here, but here goes.

I have a decent HT setup run with a Marantz SR6004 AVR. That said, I also want that sweet sound that only a tube amp can provide when listening to music. Can I connect a tube pre-amp to the pre-amp outs on the Marantz and connect the two front speakers to this? I'm assuming that is what it is there for. Any comments on the sound quality vs. sparate power amp? Any suggestions for a reasonably priced (less than $1000) tube pre-amp?


Thanks
Darren

 

[markw]

You wanna reword that a bit?

You connect outputs to inputs. Now, try it again but have some idea of what impedances you're talking about here.

By the way that "sweet sound that only a tube amp can provide" boils down to a heaping helping of even order harmonic distortion, particularly when driven into clipping. Is that what you really want?

In any case, you would have to connect the tube preamp outputs to the Marantz's main power amp inputs, assuming your receiver offers that option. I know you aren't considerig connecting it to a line-level (aux) input on the Marantz. That would be foolish.

 

[KEW]

I doubt your receiver has inputs to accept outputs from a preamplifier. I have a SR6001 and it does not. I don't know of any receiver that does (but there probably is one - somewhere!).

 

[ski2xblack]

Couple thoughts.

Markw is correct. (But that doesn't mean you wouldn't find the tube sound seductive. It can be extremely pleasant. I personally like it, but then again I have several other conventional systems to fall back on, and wouldn't be happy otherwise.)

Here's an interesting article:

http://www.dwfearn.com/tubes_vs_transistors.html

Key quotes:

Our extensive checking has indicated only two areas where vacuum-tube circuitry makes a definite audible difference in the sound quality: microphone preamplifiers and power amplifiers driving speakers or disc cutters. Both are applications where there is a mechanical-electrical interface.

My admittedly quite limited experience playing with tube gear reflects this. The tube pre-amps or line stages I've tried don't give the 'tube' sound so much as their designers' idiosyncratic sonic preferences, leaving you with a fancy and non-user adjustable (aside from tube rolling) tone control.

If you really want to explore the tube sound, I think you would be better served by a tertiary tube amp based system, rather than adding a tubed pre to your HT.

 

[GranteedEV]

Why not just simulate the ``tube sound`` with DSP:

http://convolver.sourceforge.net/

Just hook your laptop up to the marantz

 

[audiofox]

I doubt your receiver has inputs to accept outputs from a preamplifier. I have a SR6001 and it does not. I don't know of any receiver that does (but there probably is one - somewhere!).

My Denon AVR-3808ci works just fine with my Quad 44 feeding the line level inputs of the receiver (as did its predecessor, the Denon 3806)-I'm using the Quad as a phono preamp stage with the preamp master attenuator as the gain control, but I don't see why a tube preamp would not work just as well. It also worked fine with my old Adcom GFP-565, so all you need to be concerned with is the output level of the preamp so you don't overdrive the line level inputs of the receiver-the specs of the respective units should help you determine if that is a possibility, and if it is, you can probably control it with the preamp master attenuator/gain control like I do. I suspect that other receivers with standard line level inputs also work fine for the same reason.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

...vinyl is still king if you seek the best possible sound...

Seriously though?

Every time I hear a vinyl recording, I hear a bunch of noise in the background and I think, "Damn, is the signal-to-noise ratio -10dB and the crosstalk -10dB or something?"

Seriously?

Vinyl is better than Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD MA, SACD, and DVD-Audio?

I mean it's fine if you love vinyl just like some people, but do you really think the fidelity or sound quality is cleaner, clearer, and more detailed than these other types?

 

[GranteedEV]

Seriously??? There is no substitute for the real thing. Tubes add things to music that a computer chip and a bunch of zeros and ones cannot.

2nd order harmonic distortion?

I could simulate it in freaking microsoft excel. x = x + 2x(*y) where y = .01 to .99 and you play around with y until you get the sound of your favorite tube. x is of course frequency in hz. You can even determine when to kick this formula in.

I can simulate the other tube stuff too with
-a 6db/octave filter from 6 to 10khz on up

I can also simulate bloated tube bass. It would take a bit more research as far as getting it just right.

People stuck in the 1940s might find it impossible to believe but it's true. making something sound wrong is extremely easy. It's making stuff sound right that's hard.

 

[jinjuku]

Why not just simulate the ``tube sound`` with DSP:

http://convolver.sourceforge.net/

Just hook your laptop up to the marantz

LOL, You should check out Guitar Rig at some point:

<object base="http://www.native-instruments.com" width="420" height="237"><param name="movie" value="http://www.native-instruments.com/en/embed/1111"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed base="http://www.native-instruments.com" src="http://www.native-instruments.com/en/embed/1111" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always" width="420" height="237"></embed></object>

DSP's are getting more and more powerful and accurate all the time. Just an example