LobalWarming
1000+ Head-Fier
I like to consider the odd noises a tube make as added thermionic dither. Just another bonus from the sweet glow of valve sonics.Can the Blue Halo be used as a preamp with speakers? Personally, using my amps with speakers, I have found that almost any combination of tubes sound noisy a very high volumes, but by judiciously using both the volume knobs on the headphone/preamp and the volume knob on the receiver for the power amplifier, I can eliminate the noise to the point of not being noticeable at all, even without music playing.
IMHO listening to tube amplifiers, even with the noise being masked by the music, is just fine. There are combinations that are really quiet, but that is not generally the rule.
Audiophile proverb: If they make it, it hums. JUST KIDDING!
Unless it's cell tower RFI - digital RFI makes me nutz.