Solid state preamp grain compared to valves

[Macca]

Cobblers. Any active pre-amp will have higher distortion than a passive therefore by definition it cannot offer higher fidelity than a passive.

What you might prefer is a different story.

[Haselsh1]

Since I have gone from cheap to not so cheap I have noticed a much closer approach for both valve and solid state. I think that my current setup is closer than I thought although I doubt it is completely run in yet. Could I be imagining it..? Of course I could.

[Haselsh1]

Cobblers. Any active pre-amp will have higher distortion than a passive therefore by definition it cannot offer higher fidelity than a passive.

What you might prefer is a different story.

Blue touch paper; stands well back

[Haselsh1]

My experience of passives is that they just suck the life out of the sound giving a bland, lifeless experience. Is that higher fidelity..?

[Marco]

Cobblers. Any active pre-amp will have higher distortion than a passive therefore by definition it cannot offer higher fidelity than a passive.

What you might prefer is a different story.

Well, we'll have to agree to disagree, as you'd soon find out if you borrowed my Croft, for a week, and put it in your system

I don't give a flying fuck about measured "higher distortion". That's a rather shortsighted objectivist's outlook. There's MUCH more about getting a system to play music than fretting over distortion, as you well know whenever you hear what a good turntable can do!

Marco.

[Marco]

My experience of passives is that they just suck the life out of the sound giving a bland, lifeless experience. Is that higher fidelity..?

Indeed, not. Let's make it clear, though: I'm not saying that all passives suck the life out of the music, because *in the right system* fundamentally they don't, simply that they sound a LITTLE that way ('soft'), in comparison with the best (much more expensive) actives.

That is my position on the matter, based upon considerable experience of using both. It's the reason why I've kept my modded Croft (owned now for 12 years) and no longer entertained passives, which I can assure you, I wouldn't have done otherwise, as I can afford to buy pretty much what I want.

Marco.

[Macca]

Well, we'll have to agree to disagree, as you'd soon find out if you borrowed my Croft, for a week, and put it in your system

I don't give a flying fuck about measured "higher distortion". That's a rather shortsighted objectivist's outlook. There's MUCH more about getting a system to play music than fretting over distortion, as you well know whenever you hear what a good turntable can do!

Marco.

You brought fidelity into the discussion: 'Passives are a good solution, up to a point, particularly in complimentary budget systems, if finds are tight, but for ultimate high-fidelity sound, no.'

Whereas for maximum fidelity a passive cannot be bettered. Like I said, whether you prefer the sound of less fidelity is up to you. But your comment above is inaccurate unless we are changing the definition of 'high fidelity' to mean 'what I prefer.' Subjective site or not I don't think we should do that.

[Marco]

Whereas for maximum fidelity a passive cannot be bettered.

Who says so? And I don't care about measurements, as they don't always tell the full story.

If a passive preamp is used in the wrong system, it will make music sound rather lifeless [experience bears this out], ergo that does not equate to high-fidelity, regardless of what the theory says, of passives being more 'accurate', compared with actives, in isolation, out with of when actually employed in a working hi-fi system, to reproduce MUSIC.

As you know, I also prefer valve power amps to SS varieties, for precisely the same reasons, so does that also mean my choice is based upon "preferring the sound of less fidelity", simply because SS amps measure better in terms of distortion?

You brought distortion into the discussion, not me, which is why I mentioned turntables (and vinyl), which somehow manages to sound remarkably good (often better than digital), despite high levels of distortion!

And if we're discussing distortion, then at the very end of the music reproduction chain, you've got a pair of transducers that distort the signal more than anything else further up the chain could possibly do, which makes the notion of wanking over the lowest distortion figures upstream, ultimately rather comical...!!

Quite simply, in the real (listening) world, theories and measurements are often thrown out of the window.

Therefore, contrary to your assertion, I don't "prefer the sound of less fidelity" [knowing me, as a diehard purist, I'm actually quite shocked you've even came out with that statement], far from it; I prefer the sound I consider to my ears is most lifelike - and in my experience, that's delivered by the best valve-based actives.

Marco.

[Macca]

Who says so? And I don't care about measurements, as they don't always tell the full story.

.

Nothing to discuss then since you can only define fidelity via measurement.

[oldius]

I have given up searching for nuance that makes me sound like a pseudo scientist without the skill to back it up.

I listen, and if a component sounds better then it is better, for me. No amount of measuring can replace personal preference.

I use a range of music to determine my preference. If equipment sounds good with that music then I am going to enjoy it.