Tubes!

[Bogie]

Just got a Chinese tube buffer stage delivered courtesy of Ebay and DHL... And $140ish dollars (converted to pounds for Hong Kong). 3 day shipping.
 
It's hooked between the SACD and the Rotel, and I'm thinking that I like it. Tried a DAC a few weeks ago, but it didn't play well with SACD...
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/6J1-Tube-Sound-Buffer-Processor-CD-DVD-Signal-Upgrade_W0QQitemZ130052438448QQihZ003QQcategoryZ12050QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
 

[The Rabbi]

Once again I feel like I am the only person on the planet who doesn't have a clue what any of that means.
But glad you're enjoying your purchase.

[Sindawe]

Wassa matter Rabbi?  Vacuum tubes too "high tech" for ya? : neener :

Yea, I had to see the linked item to know what he was talking about as well.  Hope you enjoy your new toy.  To my ears, "warm" = fuzzy.  Guess I'm too attuned to digital tech to appreciated the older stuff.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

I don't get it, what's this thing supposed to do?  It looks like all it does is stuff a tube between your CD player and your amp.  No gain, no signal processing, nothing.  What's the point?

I do kinda dig the glowing blue Greek characters on the side...

[Brad Johnson]

Once again I feel like I am the only person on the planet who doesn't have a clue what any of that means.

It's a gizmo that bangfrazzles the sine wave loop from the hoopledanger. It converts the wave to a past participle and circlestats it throught the high-frequency gingbob. It comes out as a pure waveform that can be interpoloopled by the modulation guzzbuster and fed into the final amp, creating a sonic energy so pure that you risk internal organ damage just from thinking about it.

 

Brad

[mtnbkr]

It removes excess cash from the pockets of audiophiles

Chris

[Bogie]

Bogie think it sound good. Especially on horns and female vocals... Gotta throw in some Steely Dan, but right now I've got the thing full of Miles, Monk, and DaveB...
 
And with the maggies, it was a significantly cheaper way to get tube analog into the signal line than a pair of 100-watt-plus tube monoblock amps...
 
Sindawe, I've tried "all digital" and all the other fun stuff... Just sounds compressed and sterile. Of course, good recordings really help - The remastered Brothers In Arms from Dire Straits is excellent... Tried an outboard DAC a few weeks ago, but I think it sounded kinda harsh...
 
My favorite preamp is a solid state Marantz (from the seventies...), but the Rotel I'm using now is just so much more convenient. The amp is a VERY nice Hafler DH-200, and the speakers are Magneplanar MMGs...
 
Nothin' at all fuzzy about this... and the tubes glow in the dark!

[HankB]

It removes excess cash from the pockets of audiophiles   Chris

To the audiophile, knowledge of the dollars he's spent improves the quality of the sound in direct proportion to what he was suckered into buying wisely invested in.

On the subject of tubes . . . I remember as a kid I used to repair our old B&W console RCA TV. I'd yank the tubes, put them in a box, and ride my bicycle down to Walgreens where they had a tube-testing machine. I'd plug the tubes in, one by one, set the machine, and see if it was "good" or "bad."

The cabinet under the machine had a good supply of vacuum tubes, so I'd pick out the one that needed replacement, and pay for it up at the register. No fuss, no bother.

Today they 1) wouldn't let a kid anywhere near a machine like that; and 2) have to keep the spares locked up.

[Nick1911]

So, what you're saying is that I can make an absurd amount of money selling people outdated technology?

I mean really?  It seems like that's quite a profit margin selling a few vacuum tubes, some discreet components, a big transformer and an LED is a pretty package.  I could build 2 of these with crap I have in my junk box!

Audiophiles amaze me in what they will spend large sums of money on.

I suppose it's better then out right scams.

[Brad Johnson]

People these days would freak out if they had to wait for the tubes to warm up on something. Waiting those extra few seconds for the radio to start playing might put some yuppiefied metrosexual city-dweller into mental meltdown.

Of course and i-pod that was tube-based (i-tube?) would be 20 feet tall, 100 feet long, weigh a couple hundred tons, and would only store and play one song at a time. From punch cards.

Brad

[mtnbkr]

So, what you're saying is that I can make an absurd amount of money selling people outdated technology?

Some of that outdated tech has a great sound.  I'm no audiophile, but my grandparents' old Magnovox console stereo has a wonderful rich sound I've not heard from a modern (yet consumer level) stereo.  Could be the electronics, could be the wood construction, could be magic gnomes...

Chris

[Brad Johnson]

I vote gnomes.

Brad

[Bogie]

My "outdated technology" sounds one heckuva lot better than a lot of new stuff...
 
Let's see...
 
This gizmo was $142. The Marantz tuner and preamp set me back about $200ish, or the Rotel $75 (hey, I like bargains...). I've got $300 in the amp. The Sony SACD/DVD is new technology, and was about $250. The maggie MMGs were $550 delivered, and I've got about another $400 in a pair of plate amps and 15" subwoofers (in 0.7Q sealed boxes) under the maggies. I've got another Hafler P230 amp ($180 purchase from a guy who rebuilds them) sitting and I have been considering getting a $300 pair of MMG-W speakers for the sides/rear (the Rotel will do the four channels...).
 
So we're talking about $1,800ish for a stereo. Which is a bit more than if you went to BoxMart, and bought a Bose... But not all that much more. Unless, of course, you buy a "high end" Bose... In which case I really feel sorry for you... BoxMart also sells stuff like Martin Logans, etc., but you're gonna drop at least what I did... If not more...
 
Downstairs, in The Bunker, I've got a stack of Crown amps, and a Behringer EP2500 running the four subs. Movies are good...
 
When I shoot, I wear earplugs _and_ earmuffs.
 

[richyoung]

Audiophiles amaze me in what they will spend large sums of money on.

You should see what some guitar guys will pay for "directional" cables - that they then put an AC signal through!  Hundred of dollars a foot for some cables - as if the electrons "know" what they are flowing through....

[280plus]

I got this Peavey amp that used to be for an organ but I plug my geetar into it, its a tube/SS hybrid. Great sound and the tubes glow purple and pulsate with the music. It just don't get no better'n that! 

[Brad Johnson]

You should see what some guitar guys will pay for "directional" cables - that they then put an AC signal through!  Hundred of dollars a foot for some cables - as if the electrons "know" what they are flowing through....

Hit some of the high-end home theater forums sometime and look for posts on speaker cables. It get's downright nasty sometimes! Let's just say that objective electronics testing has established that there is no humanly discernable difference between mega-zoot electro oxy monster copperlux octo-shielded stuff and regular old zip cord, although there are folks out there who swear by their mother's soul they can tell the difference just by holding their hand over a spool of it.

Brad

[Nick1911]

My "outdated technology" sounds one heckuva lot better than a lot of new stuff...

Rock on.  Someday I'd like to experience the difference of tube sound.

Really, I'm just surprised that something as simple as a 2 tube amp brings $142.  I suppose that's supply and demand in action though.

[richyoung]

You should see what some guitar guys will pay for "directional" cables - that they then put an AC signal through!  Hundred of dollars a foot for some cables - as if the electrons "know" what they are flowing through....

Hit some of the high-end home theater forums sometime and look for posts on speaker cables. It get's downright nasty sometimes! Let's just say that objective electronics testing has established that there is no humanly discernable difference between mega-zoot electro oxy monster copperlux octo-shielded stuff and regular old zip cord, although there are folks out there who swear by their mother's soul they can tell the difference just by holding their hand over a spool of it.

Brad

The funny thing is, if you take apart the guitar or amplifier, (or audio gear), even the "boo-teak" stuff, and you will find the jacks are connected to the components with...plain old wire.  Hmmm...

[mtnbkr]

Hit some of the high-end home theater forums sometime and look for posts on speaker cables. It get's downright nasty sometimes! Let's just say that objective electronics testing has established that there is no humanly discernable difference between mega-zoot electro oxy monster copperlux octo-shielded stuff and regular old zip cord, although there are folks out there who swear by their mother's soul they can tell the difference just by holding their hand over a spool of it.
Brad

I just smile and nod when my friend starts going on and on about HT stuff...just like he does to me when I go on and on about guns, bikes, etc.

Chris

[280plus]

Being an HVAC guy I've discovered that 2 conductor 18 ga thermostat wire is the best speaker cable there is. I think it's about $0.01 a foot these days, if that.

[Bogie]

Nick, it's similar to this gizmo...
 
http://www.decware.com/newsite/zbox.htm
 
I've noticed, especially with some players, that things can sound really "digital." Harsh, and, yes, fuzzy...
 
Up on the hill, they think I'm okay. Or so they say...
 
What gets me are the folks who think that their compressed as all get-out MP3s are the last word in sound... "Oh, I've got an Ipod! I've got an Ipod!" Exqueeze me, but there's a difference.
 

[Bogie]

I'm running more wattage (the Hafler does 175 at 4 ohms, and the subwoofer amps are 240 each) than I'm comfy with for using 18 gauge... And I _did_ notice a difference when I swapped it out...
 
...for 10 gauge low-voltage lighting wire... A little more a foot, but hey... The Maggie MMGs are pretty power hungry...
 
The lighter stuff just couldn't handle the deeper bass - It was like some of it just went away. I became a firm believer in "use enough wire."
 
My bedroom system has 18 gauge. Offa a giant spool I bought for $25.
 

[Brad Johnson]

I'd be a little leery running more than a few feet of 18 ga if you are pushing more than 40 or 50 watts through it. Any longer runs, or higher power peaks up to 100w or so, and I'd probably step up to 16ga for runs up to 20'. Any longer than that and I'd use 12ga or 14ga.

Agree with Bogie that a lot of the consumer products sound "synthetic" - tinny or indistinct, and lacking the warmth of a broad dynamic range. However, there are good products out there at modest prices which perform fine.  

My personal opinion is that good speaker design, a well-engineered amp (mechanically and sonically), and careful choices in components don't have to break the bank to sound very good. Unfortunately, most consumers are "watts-oriented" and will buy whatever is rated the highest power or has the most input jacks. They also firmly believe the snake oil that's being sold as cables these days. Pity. For what many unknowing people spend on useless accessories they could have upgraded their amp and speakers and been far better off.

Brad

[The Rabbi]

Once again I feel like I am the only person on the planet who doesn't have a clue what any of that means.

It's a gizmo that bangfrazzles the sine wave loop from the hoopledanger. It converts the wave to a past participle and circlestats it throught the high-frequency gingbob. It comes out as a pure waveform that can be interpoloopled by the modulation guzzbuster and fed into the final amp, creating a sonic energy so pure that you risk internal organ damage just from thinking about it.

 

Brad

That's clear enough.
Here I thought about my dad's Marantz receiver that I still have, from 1960.  I remember waiting for that thing to warm up.
Or I thought about a child with chronic ear infections.
Does it mean you are getting old when you don't know how to work most of the gizmos around you?  Is it worse if you don't care?

[280plus]

Yea, I thought about you big power guys after I posted that. I have an old ('77)Sansui 125 watt receiver but I rarely run it up much more than 5. Usually the needle is barely moving. I have lots of old tag sale speakers in cabinets, nice ones mostly, Golden Voice etc so I like to sit in the middle of all that square footage and listen to it rather low cause that's all it takes. Clear as a bell too. It's like the music is in your head man...