Hey all!
So, recently I've been in the threads here and there, and it has come to my attention, that I've started to form a liking towards tube amps in how they sound, and also the way they look (the glow) really phases me. I'm not yet certain if tube amps will be my thing, so I decided to make this thread to allow those of this community who are willing, to help a brother out.
(I got this image off Google Images, and I don't know who took it, but kudos to whoever did, because it's a nice shot, and I really dig that glow!)
I should start off by saying that I have yet to listen to many tube amps as yet, but the first one, and only one that I've heard so far was the Bottlehead S.E.X. Although leaning a touch warmth, I found it to be rather interesting as regardless of it's nature, the clarity was still there, as was the level of high-detail. I, who's not much of a fan of dark/warm tonality, thought the S.E.X. was pretty okay/good. The fact that an amp with a warm tonality could do without veil over it's mids/highs was definitely a surprise to me. Although so, this may just be because of my lack of amp experiences; but who knows.. Aside from my little experience with desktop amps and anything of that kind, I will go onto my objectives and reasons behind my "Desktop conversion", what I have in mind, what my budget is, and a few other things, which I will slowly add in over a period of time, or when I am more free.
It should be known that I'm really kind of just experimenting with a thread such as this, and I'm not too sure how successful it will be since it may be too expecting, but hey, I suppose it's worth a shot.
With the use of portable mid-fi gear over the past year or two, I feel that it's probably best for me to begin an investment in a desktop (tube amps) setup, as I am rather curious and interested in the concept, and also the fact that I feel that I could get more out of a desktop setup, as opposed to a portable setup. As I had mentioned earlier, I am not sure if tube amps, or desktop setups are my thing general, but I guess that is why I made this thread - to see if it will be fitting.
Objective: I want to have a mid-fi tube amp desktop setup that consists of multiple tubes, of which will have a range of colours (because I am mesmerized by the glow and illumination that it gives off), and headphones that can benefit from the power of desktop gear.
Reason: By the end of this year, or the beginning of next year, I will have a new laptop, which I intend on dedicating to my education/school as well as for desktop, music-use for when I'm at home.
Tonality Preference: I like anything that has high clarity, as well as good detailing, addictive musicality flow, a wide soundstage and quality 3D imaging/positioning. I won't mind if it has a warm tone to it, as long as there is no veil that blankets the mids and highs.
Budget: $2,000 (MAX), but really, the cheaper, the better. I'd aim for an amp around $500 tops, or at most, $600-ish, and try to keep it relatively reasonable for the headphones as well.
Timeframe: This little project of mine, I plan on giving it a pretty big time period of around 1 to 3 years to complete, as being a student, there are more expenditures here and there to do, than just to dedicate to a hobby.
Here, I wish to post a few, if not a plethora of novice questions in which for those who post a noob-friendly answer in response, I'll reference it in this section for future beginners into the desktop (tube) setups. Also if you have a good question that can be helpful to new desktop users, PM me the question so I'll add it to my list.
I am aware most of my questions will have been answered multiple times within pages of threads, but I thought I'd collate it all here as a form of my long-term, hobby research.
What are the benefits of a desktop setup, over a high-end portable setup?
What does one look for when venturing into the world of desktop equipment?
Is there a common tonality between ALL tube amps?
Do neutral or bright sounding tubes exist?
What is required of me, in terms of gear, when considering going desktop (eg. what cables? DAC? PC? Laptop?)?
Are high quality tubes expensive?
Not necessarily. Quite a few expensive tubes out there are only expensive because of how rare they are. Good tubes can be found for cheap prices as well. [Quoted from Snips (Post #4)]
What tube amp fits my description of what I'm looking for?
Does using a desktop setup use up a lot of electricity?
What headphones go best with tube amp setups? Are high-end headphones a necessity?
I'll have more questions soon, but I'll leave it at that for the time being. I may not be on Head-Fi 24/7 to monitor this thread, but I will surely be on at least once per day to check up on it, and read what you guys have to say
Thank you in advance, and I hope I didn't come across to demanding!
As per usual, I'll do my best to keep this thread updated when I begin the project as a whole..which won't be until the end of this year or so.
Cheers!
So, recently I've been in the threads here and there, and it has come to my attention, that I've started to form a liking towards tube amps in how they sound, and also the way they look (the glow) really phases me. I'm not yet certain if tube amps will be my thing, so I decided to make this thread to allow those of this community who are willing, to help a brother out.
(I got this image off Google Images, and I don't know who took it, but kudos to whoever did, because it's a nice shot, and I really dig that glow!)
Background
I should start off by saying that I have yet to listen to many tube amps as yet, but the first one, and only one that I've heard so far was the Bottlehead S.E.X. Although leaning a touch warmth, I found it to be rather interesting as regardless of it's nature, the clarity was still there, as was the level of high-detail. I, who's not much of a fan of dark/warm tonality, thought the S.E.X. was pretty okay/good. The fact that an amp with a warm tonality could do without veil over it's mids/highs was definitely a surprise to me. Although so, this may just be because of my lack of amp experiences; but who knows.. Aside from my little experience with desktop amps and anything of that kind, I will go onto my objectives and reasons behind my "Desktop conversion", what I have in mind, what my budget is, and a few other things, which I will slowly add in over a period of time, or when I am more free.
It should be known that I'm really kind of just experimenting with a thread such as this, and I'm not too sure how successful it will be since it may be too expecting, but hey, I suppose it's worth a shot.
Objectives & Reasoning
With the use of portable mid-fi gear over the past year or two, I feel that it's probably best for me to begin an investment in a desktop (tube amps) setup, as I am rather curious and interested in the concept, and also the fact that I feel that I could get more out of a desktop setup, as opposed to a portable setup. As I had mentioned earlier, I am not sure if tube amps, or desktop setups are my thing general, but I guess that is why I made this thread - to see if it will be fitting.
Objective: I want to have a mid-fi tube amp desktop setup that consists of multiple tubes, of which will have a range of colours (because I am mesmerized by the glow and illumination that it gives off), and headphones that can benefit from the power of desktop gear.
Reason: By the end of this year, or the beginning of next year, I will have a new laptop, which I intend on dedicating to my education/school as well as for desktop, music-use for when I'm at home.
Tonality Preference: I like anything that has high clarity, as well as good detailing, addictive musicality flow, a wide soundstage and quality 3D imaging/positioning. I won't mind if it has a warm tone to it, as long as there is no veil that blankets the mids and highs.
Budget: $2,000 (MAX), but really, the cheaper, the better. I'd aim for an amp around $500 tops, or at most, $600-ish, and try to keep it relatively reasonable for the headphones as well.
Timeframe: This little project of mine, I plan on giving it a pretty big time period of around 1 to 3 years to complete, as being a student, there are more expenditures here and there to do, than just to dedicate to a hobby.
Questions & Answers
Here, I wish to post a few, if not a plethora of novice questions in which for those who post a noob-friendly answer in response, I'll reference it in this section for future beginners into the desktop (tube) setups. Also if you have a good question that can be helpful to new desktop users, PM me the question so I'll add it to my list.
I am aware most of my questions will have been answered multiple times within pages of threads, but I thought I'd collate it all here as a form of my long-term, hobby research.
What are the benefits of a desktop setup, over a high-end portable setup?
What does one look for when venturing into the world of desktop equipment?
Is there a common tonality between ALL tube amps?
Do neutral or bright sounding tubes exist?
What is required of me, in terms of gear, when considering going desktop (eg. what cables? DAC? PC? Laptop?)?
Are high quality tubes expensive?
Not necessarily. Quite a few expensive tubes out there are only expensive because of how rare they are. Good tubes can be found for cheap prices as well. [Quoted from Snips (Post #4)]
What tube amp fits my description of what I'm looking for?
Does using a desktop setup use up a lot of electricity?
What headphones go best with tube amp setups? Are high-end headphones a necessity?
I'll have more questions soon, but I'll leave it at that for the time being. I may not be on Head-Fi 24/7 to monitor this thread, but I will surely be on at least once per day to check up on it, and read what you guys have to say
Thank you in advance, and I hope I didn't come across to demanding!
As per usual, I'll do my best to keep this thread updated when I begin the project as a whole..which won't be until the end of this year or so.
Cheers!
