G'day,
I have an all Rotel steup: RSP-1068 pre/pro, RCD1072 CD player, RB-1090 2x380w amp. But experimenting with different speakers has shown me that while the Rotel gear is very good at that solid state sound, I'm not really fond of the solid state sound anymore. Replacing my amps with a cheap nOhr SE9 valve amp produced a noticeable change in sound (the additional lushness and wider soundstage), one that I want to pursue further.
So I'm keen to wander down the valve path, but I'm not sure which components need replacing. Which component (CD player, pre-amp, or power amp) is mostly responsible for the "valve sound"? Can I get by with replacing my CD player with a valve CD player (such as a Shanling CD-T80) ? Or just the pre-amp (such as the Supratek Chardonnay)? Or the power amp? Or some combination of the above?
However, as much as I like the valve's lushness and soundstage, I did notice the bloominess of the bottom-end. So I don't know if a valve power amp is the correct solution. I should also point out that my speakers are currently 3 ohm, and my next speakers maybe 2 ohm, so grunty amps are required.
So: what should I be looking at?
--Geoff
I have an all Rotel steup: RSP-1068 pre/pro, RCD1072 CD player, RB-1090 2x380w amp. But experimenting with different speakers has shown me that while the Rotel gear is very good at that solid state sound, I'm not really fond of the solid state sound anymore. Replacing my amps with a cheap nOhr SE9 valve amp produced a noticeable change in sound (the additional lushness and wider soundstage), one that I want to pursue further.
So I'm keen to wander down the valve path, but I'm not sure which components need replacing. Which component (CD player, pre-amp, or power amp) is mostly responsible for the "valve sound"? Can I get by with replacing my CD player with a valve CD player (such as a Shanling CD-T80) ? Or just the pre-amp (such as the Supratek Chardonnay)? Or the power amp? Or some combination of the above?
However, as much as I like the valve's lushness and soundstage, I did notice the bloominess of the bottom-end. So I don't know if a valve power amp is the correct solution. I should also point out that my speakers are currently 3 ohm, and my next speakers maybe 2 ohm, so grunty amps are required.
So: what should I be looking at?
--Geoff
