KVR Audio

sinkmusic · Post by **sinkmusic** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 11:12 pm

thanks for the tip.
I have read good reviews from it.

where02190 · Post by **where02190** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 12:48 am

Kingston wrote:
where02190 wrote:The Art is not a tube preamp, it's a preamp with a tube in it. If you're planning on getting a real tube pre (IOW one that is all tube circuitry) then you'll hear a very different sound.
...and even with an all-tube signal path with transformers you're likely to only get a super clean articulate sound. We can blame whole tube/warmth/fart/crap sound on modern marketing by Art, behringer and friends.

up to until mid-eighties tube design was (and still is outside the china-cheapo scene) striving for clean amplification with as little distortion as possible.

an all-tube distorting pre-amp (a design which is quite rare) is going to look a whole lot more like a stomp box.

I could build one for custom specs... for a fee. clean or dirty.

honestly, with the behringer and art you could in some cases remove the tube (that's only there because gullible folk think it should be), leave the fancy looking back light and it would still sound the same. ie shite.

Not true. Overdriving a tube stage in a true tube pre will result in the classic harmonic distortion assoicated with them.

Kingston · Post by **Kingston** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 12:56 am

depends entirely on the design. less than 1% THD is common with hi-end tube pre amps. I've got one as a feedback design. If I take out the stabilising feedback loop between a few of the stages it sounds much more "tubey" (would have more gain as well).

It's just not as usable as an everyday workhorse.

where02190 · Post by **where02190** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 1:05 am

1% is pretty major, and will be anything but clean.

Kingston · Post by **Kingston** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 1:09 am

depends on what that 1% does, where the harmonics are located and how they are distributed, whether on transients etc. the good ol psychoacoustics.

the design I'm talking about sounds much cleaner than any API. A standard transformer NEVE sounds completely colored in comparison, even if the numbers would indicate otherwise.

where02190 · Post by **where02190** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 3:42 am

NO tube circuit driven to 1% harmonic distortion will remotely resemble anything that could be described as clean.

tube preamp : making it hot