Will adding a Tube-Preamp between my CDP and Receiver be the same as a tube out CDP (1 Viewer)

[Jason Bell]

?

 

[Claire Panke]

Not necessarily. That's a hard question to answer without knowing more about your set up and your budget. Can you give us some more details? Are you trying to use the tubed pre as a "tone control" for harsh digital playback? What is your cdp and receiver? A tube preamp will change the sound of your system but it will not make a bad CD player (or receiver) sound good.

I have a tubed preamp, but I'm not using a receiver or multi-channel surround - it's in my audiophile 2 channel stereo rig. But my cdp is a very good sounding (non-tub output) Cary 303, which has excellent DACs, BTW. A system is just that - a *system*. Everything in it contributes to the total sound quality, including the power supply, cabling, front end, amplification and speakers.

You may want to head over to audioasylum.com and post your query on the digital board - you may get more response than here.

 

[KeithH]

Jason, I agree with Claire. With a quality tube pre-amp, your receiver and/or CD player could be the weak link, depending on what you are using. What are you using? Furthermore, your selection of CD players with tube analog output stages is somewhat limited. Also, a tube analog output stage does not guarantee a smooth sound. I have the Ah! Njoe Tjoeb 4000 tubed player (see www.upscaleaudio.com), and while it is good for the money ($579), my Sony SCD-C555ES SACD/CD changer is smoother in some respects. In any event, I would not equate a tube CD player with a tube pre-amp.

 

[Jason Bell]

Thanks KeithH and Claire,

I had just been reading about the tube sound and was curious. I was just wondering if this would be the most cost effective way to try it out. My CDP isnt anything great but I did pick it over a Sony 70ES and Marantz 3000. I'm using a Denon 1802 for a receiver. I'm not necessarily trying to warm up(smooth out) my equipment as much as some of my source material. I've got a lot of Classic Rock CDs that can be a little bright. I've got others though that sound really great with basically the same type music so I believe its more the material then my system. The way I was gonna hook it up would be CDP analog outs to- Tube-Preamp to- one of the Denons analog ins. Would this be correct? Since I would have two volume controls how would I set the one on the Pre-amp? I really only want to try this tube sound with music and dont or cant(couldnt afford a powerful enough amp) want to use it for HT. So this rules out using just tube amps before the speakers. Thanks for any advice.