Tubular
By: kyung
tags: amplifier, High Dynamic Range, jolida, stereo, tube
Category: High Dynamic Range, Tech Toys
One of the things I love about audio equipment, is that newer does not always mean better.
The average hifi enthusiast will shop at the local Best Buy or Magnolia HiFi and pick out the names that are well known (Sony, Pioneer, Denon, Bose, Onkyo, etc). The true enthusiast will search the far and wide for the lesser known audio “gems” - bang for the buck, incredible sound, a proven history, and of course, a product that can talk the talk *and* walk the walk. Most have heard about Bose, Polk, or even Bang & Olufsen, but how many friends do you know who can tell you about Antique Sound Labs, Classe, NAIM, NAD, Prima Luna, Grado Labs, Magnepan, or Stax? There’s reason for it - it takes a lot of time and research to find these little gems. Not many stores carry them locally, either.
The other thing, is that people love to jump on the bandwagon of new technology. Dolby, DTS 5.1, optical TOSLink, Surround 7.2, etc. But when it really comes to music and only music - the live performances have sound coming from the front of you. You only need two really good speakers and an amplifier in front. Let the room’s acoustics take care of the sound’s reflections and surround - it’s more realistic that way for music, anyway. Dollar for dollar, no surround/dts/dolby system will come close to the realism and quality that a good 2 channel system will produce.
So, it only makes sense at this point to talk about solid state transistors and vacuum tubes. Solid state transistor amplifiers are what you’ll find on the shelves today. Vacuum tubes, are another story. Most associate vacuum tubes with old, ENIAC-era computers that took up entire rooms. When it comes to audio though, solid state transistors were made to be cheap, and small - vacuum tubes still hold the title for accuracy and quality of sound. In fact, vacuum tubes are still used in military applications today for its reliability and accuracy (think nuclear warheads).
One reason is the push/pull design, and another reason would be that it gives off even ordered harmonics, vs. the odd ordered harmonics that solid state amplifiers give off. The technicalities behind the inner workings of vacuum tubes are beyond the scope of this blog post, but I guess I can say it is a lot like vinyl records vs. CD. The CD is technologically newer, more compact, and on paper, more accurate and precise. Ask any audio enthusiast though, and he’ll tell you that the vinyl recording is smoother, warmer, and more enjoyable to listen to (I tend to agree). Part of this is that the CD is digital, and a smooth and analogue signal is broken down and sampled into digital bits. But again, this is beyond the scope of this post.
Let’s get to what matters - how does it sound? How different is it from a solid state amplifier? Basically - this Jolida 707 tube amp is worlds apart from my old Arcam Delta 290 solid state amplifier (which was no slouch, either). It *really* woke up the Magnepan magneplanar speakers I have. I’ve never heard voices “vibrato” back and forth so clearly. The tube amp sounds like it literally picks up the voice, and dangles it in front of your face, while it fills the rest of the room with the music. The vocals are buttery smooth, and warm, without being muffled. Things twinkle and sparkle. Bass is tight, punchy, and you feel it more than hear it. You can stare at the speakers, and never get any indication that there is any sound coming from them - the music seems to be floating in front of you all around. You can listen for hours, as the sound is so smooth it does not tire you out or give you a headache (partly due to the even ordered harmonics). I can go on for ages, but if you live locally - do come on by and give them a listen.
Next time you’re shopping for audiogear, I highly recommend doing some research. And if you’re going for quality (and cool glowing tube looks), definitely take a look at the tube technology of yore. You’ll be amazed.
If nothing else, that’s an awesome-looking amp..
We could indeed debate about CD vs. vinyl, but it might be somewhat analogous to cars. I miss my old ‘85 635CSi because of the tactile feedback it gave, the build quality, the focus on the driver, and predictable handling. It had low limits compared to modern cars, but I’d still take it over nearly anything else.
And surround sound is a lot of fun for movies, but if we’re talking about listening to music, I agree, I can’t really see the need for anything more than two speakers…