tubular

so i got me a tube headphone amplifier.

it came with two sets of vacuum tubes. the idea is that different tubes distort, er color, er, that is sound differently.

i spent a couple hours listening with one set of tubes. it was nice. it was very nice. it was even slightly tubey, i think, meaning that some of the harsher highs were softened in a harmonious way. everything sounded... nice.

then i got up, made some tea, talked a bit on the phone, bled the lizard, and swapped out the tubes for the other set.

now, the other set seems more powerful, more soft, more authoritative. these are all technical audiophile terms that mean very little but sound impressive.

i could just have the volume up a little higher, that's a big problem with audio comparisons. keeping the volume constant is nearly impossible as you swap out components.

this is probably my last audio upgrade, at least, i hope it is. i have reached the point of diminishing returns for my ears. while the amp sounds rather different from the dac's amp, it's hard to say just how it differs. for what i paid, i'd expect to hear huge differences. that is fine, it just means i'm done.

on teh other hand, my experience with hi-fi has taught me that many of the important differences are not so much heard as missed when absent. if i listen to my portable rig tomorrow, i may well realize what i'm missing.

(there's a bit in Buena Vista Social Club's "Chan Chan" where the trumpets are just a little too harsh/shrill on my dac, but sound "just right" on the tubes. that's what tubes are supposed to do. as far as i can tell, there's no loss of detail, just a bit more "warmth" where there used to be shrillness. that's also what tubes are supposed to do.)

i got to experience several amazing positioning/soundstage moments tonight. that may have been due to the new amp, or it may have been just my more attentive listening.

and for now, until i bother to do a better job of it (i can, you know), some glowing tubes: