AudioAficionado.org - Martin-Logan/Audio Research combo=Good?

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- - Martin-Logan/Audio Research combo=Good? (https://www.audioaficionado.org/showthread.php?t=44537)

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulRS (Post 943667)

Sure. I have used both Aerius and now Montis, both love tubes much better than solid state. A friend of mine drove his CLXs with ARC amps, also with great results. Modern tube designs tend to handle dynamics better- they sound faster with better resolution. This compliments a quality ESL- really shows off their strengths.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulRS (Post 943818)

How so? I think the sonic advantages of using tubes are well understood in both high-end and professional audio. As well as engineering theory of why that's the case.

Ok, I quoted your original post to which I commented on.

1) saying that Logans 'love tubes much better than SS' is fundamentally wrong in the manor to which the two types of amplification operate. Do you understand what a stat panel really is and what it presents to an amplifier ? While you as an individual my love what tubes do (all well and good, so do I) saying so in general terms, not so much.

2) as for tube designs 'handling dynamics better' , again, a general statement with no fundamental backing. 80% of the music we listen to lies within mid-range freq an area where tubes tend to shine (warmth, euphoric distortion, call it what you want), when you get to the dynamic extremes, tube characteristics allow the softer rolloff up top and tend to loose grip down below. The better designed and built amps minimize this as do the better SS amps even more-so

3) as for 'sonic advantage' , a personal opinion that really lies within the bounds of speaker selection, room set up, music choices, etc. Again, your opinion to which you're entitled, I just take exception with the 'general' nature of it.

For the record, tubes have been in and a part of my various system iterations for well over thirty years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by michael paul (Post 943736)

Hi ,thank you.

I also have the REF6,and I am giving the GS150 serious consideration.

How would you describe the sound? Warm,analytical,detailed,sterile neutral?

I am looking for something a little more liquid,"full", enveloping warmth..I was using Krell solid state but I feel I have to move from that--too clinical.

PS ..not looking for "too" warm. Don't want to throw a blanket over the speakers!..lol

thanks

mike

Mike I would say my system is warm yet very detailed. I know what you’re saying about not wanting to throw a blanket over the speakers. The Mac 275 amps I had were like throwing a “wet blanket” over the speakers.

I bought my GS150 used with 1200 hours on it so it was good to go from the start. I bought my Ref 6 new so it has taken a while to come to life. I now have 350 hours on it and it is really warming up and the sound stage is getting better and bigger.

Thanks Steve!

Love your analog stuff by the way!!! nice!!

Really getting beyond the scope of the thread, but yes I understand how ESLs operate. I have owned them for 30 years. And I have also used both tube and SS with them. It's true vintage amplifiers can add a warm coloration with most any speaker, but modern amps such as ARC not so much. Only partly by their design. Can be they have not been serviced (re-capped, re-tubed) in a long time.

Briefly, tubes inherently do not change their operating characteristics with rapidly changing signal level. It's also why resistors in the signal path will sound different- a metal film/foil type will usually sound more revealing (maybe "faster" is not the right word) than a carbon type. Temperature coefficient of the former is a lot lower. This has been written about by a few prominent designers.