Regards the adding an extra valve.
Linked to DF96's question assuming the valve distorts sound.
Morally (wrong) misleading some one to buy because they think more is better!
(even if the buyer beware this is still wrong!).
Perhaps this is a question of should an engineer be moral<<This is a dangerous subject you can link to war etc. Personal gain at any cost to me is wrong, however that is just my thoughts!
Each to their own.
In an engineering sense (wrong) wasted power, to degrade a circuit is pointless and against marketing strategy.
Artistically is difficult because art is about what appeals to people and presentation of ideas. (Sound aside, power aside)
Then again does the altered "distorted" sound, sound better to this person? In which case artistically the sound is better to them.
A bit like Sitar in 60's music and the culture at the time.
Regards
M. Gregg
To answer my own question:
a) morally better to include it in the circuit - otherwise it is merely cosmetic, one might even conclude it was just a cynical attempt to take money off people who don't understand the technology.
b) engineering wrong - if it doesn't add to the performance then better off without it.
c) artistic - who knows?
a) morally better to include it in the circuit - otherwise it is merely cosmetic, one might even conclude it was just a cynical attempt to take money off people who don't understand the technology.
b) engineering wrong - if it doesn't add to the performance then better off without it.
c) artistic - who knows?
This might sound like a stupid comment,
However I wonder if "system sound" or tone and what is considered good or bad, is different with different cultures? If we think about native songs and sound they are very different! Is this what we have here?
PP "good for rock" SE good for Vocal.
Regards
M. Gregg
However I wonder if "system sound" or tone and what is considered good or bad, is different with different cultures? If we think about native songs and sound they are very different! Is this what we have here?
PP "good for rock" SE good for Vocal.
Regards
M. Gregg
Could be. I don't know how true this is, but if you read hi-fi mags from the 1970's and 80's they give the impression that, say, US and UK tastes in sound were quite different. Now I know that US and UK are different cultures, but fairly similar when considered on a worldwide basis.
Now I am starting to wonder why we see so many strange circuits in these amps!
The sound of chinese tubes compared with others from around the world.
Designed to sound this way.
Regards
M. Gregg
I see a reason behind that (to fool people) but, again, I fail to see how a preamp with three tubes may be more appealing than one with just two. I understand this preamp is marketed to the DIY world not to the masses ( usually think more is better). I remember seeing a link and they sell it as a PCB with parts.
Think I found it:
HIFI 6SN7 X3 (6N8P-6H8C) Tube Valve Preamp Kit Board on eBay (end time 04-Apr-11 08:23:51 BST)
It's a bit OT, but the subject has been studied over the past few decades. The differences seem to follow language, which is a big part of culture. The differences between East and West seem the largest - no surprise.
Just from my experience I'd say there are different "styles" of "flavors" even in the West. I seem to prefer a different audio tonal balance when I'm in a French speaking environment than English. Of course it could be the wine, women and food, but who would admit that?
And yet many of the trends that first took root in Japan are now firmly entrenched here in the US, and Europe.. Anyone who looks at my system closely and knows anything about the international audio scene often comments on how similar my system is to the Japanese conception.. (Vintage based speaker system built around JBL and Altec types components, Onken boxes, DHTs, exotic tubes, vintage vinyl source) What I can't answer is how significantly the voicing of my system might differ from a system compromised of similar components in Japan.
I might also mention that the gulf certainly between generic "East Coast Sound" and many British products is probably not large. British speakers are quite popular here. (Mission, Monitor Audio, Rogers, Quad, B&W to name just a very few..)
France is a unique experience in and of itself.. 😀
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Our next-door neighbours do seem to make an art form out of being different: Citroen cars, SECAM colour TV are just two examples. Strangely, here in the UK we probably know more about US hi-fi than French hi-fi.
One Japanese trend which seems to have caught on in many places is the emphasis on appearance: LEDs, meters, polished metal etc. To a Brit (above a certain age) this all looks quite vulgar, but others (including our own youngsters) seem to like it.
One Japanese trend which seems to have caught on in many places is the emphasis on appearance: LEDs, meters, polished metal etc. To a Brit (above a certain age) this all looks quite vulgar, but others (including our own youngsters) seem to like it.
I lived through that era in HiFi and I can tell you it was truly a cultural difference, but not necessarily a sound preference difference.
The short answer is British audiophiles had considerably less room to dedicate to audio and broadly speaking lived in much smaller rooms. The "East Coast" (US) "bookshelf" loudspeakers of the era were large in comparison to the Brit equivalents ... even the baffles were wider. Compare, say, an AR or Smaller Advent to a common stand-mounted speaker of today ... the "compact" "East Coast" "Bookshelf" speaker of the time would be considered fairly large speakers today.
Today, British homes are bigger for many people, while US residents have moved to a preference for compact systems. A convergence, if you will.
As a result, UK speakers are far more popular in the US today than in the past, but I don't think it's a reflection of sound tastes ... it's more a lifestyle thing, and the Brits have more experience and good reputations making the products more people seek out today, so they are both stocked at dealers and more popular amongst the buying public than they once were.
I don't mean to suggest the UK speakers were never popular at all in the US, but they were significantly less popular than today.
That is not a new trend; it was alive and well 40 years ago from Japan. The established companies have toned down the appearance in the meantime making some examples from today stand out a bit more. But the style was always present in Japanese gear; we see it from modern Chinese stuff now.
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OK, now that we're into off topic territory maybe we can discuss what language sounds better: American or British English ?
What's "American English"? A person from Texas sounds totally unlike a person from Massachusetts, at least as different as Castillian does from Mexican.
Back in the '70s, British speakers were VERY popular with American audiophiles. Just about every serious audiophile I knew had LS3/5A or Quad or Spendor or KEF or IMF. No one had any Chinese gear.
Back in the '70s, British speakers were VERY popular with American audiophiles. Just about every serious audiophile I knew had LS3/5A or Quad or Spendor or KEF or IMF. No one had any Chinese gear.
That much? I know what you mean and mine was a bit of a stupid question but I wouldn't say Cockney sounds like standard British.
EDIT: Newscasters usually speak properly. 🙂
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What is British English? Accents vary significantly from one part of London to another, let alone other parts of the country. Naturally, I prefer the accent from the area I grew up. So what?
Is one even aware of the "accent" with which they grow-up? Now Army brat families would be and interesting case study - in adulthood to which particular accent and vernacular do they most naturally revert?
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