"We Love our music Sonically Colored. Translation: Vacuum Tube vs. Transistor Sound"
Written by Ying Kit Lee
Edited by C. I.
Approved by the President of the Los Angeles Orange County Audio Society.
DISCLAIMER: the opinions expressed in this article are the author's and not those of the Audio Society.
Date: March 2025
I seek a neutrally tuned sonic experience. I am not a critic or a critical person, however, I do write about products with subjective and objective thoughts. I have arrived at a conclusion about the world of audio; We Love our Music sonically colored.
What I mean is "neutral" may be great when analyzing a sound in a particular composition or album. Generally, we seek equipment that aligns with our personal preferences to create a more palatable listening experience. Diving deeper into the rabbit hole, sonic coloration is purely subjective. I may like achromatic sound, but the next person may say "that's very clinical". Hopefully this article will explain my thoughts and subjective opinions.
True to form, I have compared the audio signal reproduction of solid-state versus vacuum tube gear and found the latter to be less sharp or artificially equalized. To be more precise and concise, I compared two Little Dot MK8SE headphone amplifiers with different tube brand configurations (Tung-Sol in one unit and the other with NOS Western Electric). This is where I believe there are inconsistencies in vacuum tube gear. One unit sounds smooth and laid back, the other is slightly edgier and livelier. Solid-state equipment is consistent from one unit in the model line to another. Changes in the audio timbre can be tuned by using interconnects, speaker cables, and power cables. Valve equipment allows for tube rolling combined with the aforementioned accessories to further tune to one's liking.
For the sake of this article, I will confine most of my thoughts to the realm of personal listening. This makes it easier to perceive changes in the sonic reproduction whereas with a loudspeaker system, the differences could be the sound waves interacting with the room acoustics. Personal listening rigs are easier to configure thus, I repeat, the article will confine itself to headphones and their associated equipment.
"Vacuum Tube Sound is vastly superior to Solid-State..."
This is a bold statement with very little truth. It depends on who is listening/auditioning/reviewing and how the audio components in the signal path complement one another. Transistor technology has come a long way in achieving vanishingly low harmonic distortion and lowering of the noise floor. Vacuum tubes on the other hand remain, semi-frozen in time when it comes to its operation. The circuits and wiring schemes are modernized to match the evolving audiophile standard therefore transitioning to solid-state may not be necessary.
Or it is...
Having heard different audio systems utilizing solid-state, vacuum tubes, or a hybridization of the two technological paths, I can say there can be colorations depending on implementation. Staying on the path of personal listening, headphones represent a large market of audiophiles whether beginners or veterans. I have found combining solid-state sources with vacuum tube amplification provides the most neutral listening experience.
TESTING THESE POINTS, THREE HP RIGS WILL BE USED.
- HEADPHONES - Meze Audio ELITE with the Lavricables Grand Line Silver 4-core terminated with the AECO 4-pin XLR -> Lavricables MLS 4-pin XLR-to-6.3mm TRS unbalanced stereo phono jack adapter 15-cm length.
- RIG One/R1/System 1 - Fiio M17 -> Lavricables 4.4mm Pentacon balanced Ultimate Line Silver to dual 3-pin XLR 2.0m length -> Benchmark HPA4 solid-state THX AAA 888 headphone amplifier.
- RIG Two/R2/System 2 - Fiio M17 -> Lavricables 4.4mm Pentacon balanced Ultimate Line Silver to dual 3-pin XLR 2.0m length -> EAR HP4 vacuum tube headphone amplifier.
- RIG Three/R3/System 3 - Cayin N30LE configured in Class-A full vacuum tube stage activated -> Lavricables 4.4mm Pentacon balanced Ultimate Line Silver to dual 3-pin XLR 2.0m length -> Little Dot MK8SE with all Tung-Sol gold-pin vacuum tubes Pure Class-A headphone amplifier.
NOTES: RIG Three features, new to this blog, the Cayin N30LE portable digital audio player. It is the brand's limited production portable player featuring two Korg NuTube paired fluorescent triode balanced tubes and an advanced amplification circuit for Pure Class-A operation. The N30LE will be connected to auxiliary power for the duration of the tests. The Fiio M17 is my go-to reference portable and the N30LE is on loan for this article and will be featured separately in a few reviews. The Fiio M17 is a solid-state device and doesn't have an option for vacuum tubes.
As stated in the title, I used the word "we" because this article utilized a sample size of eight independent testers to compile the data. Some favored the warmth of R3 while others enjoyed the achromatic sound of R1 and the neutral balance of R2. In general, the word "we" is used rather loosely to convey a sense of community.
ALBUM: Beethoven's Triple Concerto. Yo-Yo Ma, Anne-Sophie Mutter, and Daniel Barenboim - 24-bits, 96-KHz sampling rate FLAC.
Hearing the same piece of music or album a half dozen times through each rig can drive some people nuts. As a researcher, this method of testing comes with the territory. Rig 1 has great dynamics with a slight hint of edginess that isn't present with Rig 2 and 3. That edginess could be from either the headphone or the headphone amplifier. Since the source signal from R1 and R2 is the Fiio M17, then it could be attributed to the amp. That's not necessarily a bad quality to have in a system.
The sweetness of Mutter's violin and Ma's cello defines the audio signature of all three systems. The mid-high edge in the R1 system provides a clearer sonic image that could be described as clinical or analytical. There is a level of precision on how the strings complement the piano and orchestra compared to R2 and R3. It is musical if not slightly hard with a slight brightness to the mid-highs. It could be the headphone cable or interconnects hardening the sonic signature in certain aspects of the frequency range. It could also be the headphone amplifier because R1 uses the Benchmark HPA4 while R2 and R3 feature vacuum tubes in the amplification stage. Maybe a different solid-state amplifier would change the delay and decay of the frequency range, but that would be written in a different article (outside the scope of the Outer Limits of Audio).
Migrating to one of the desktop amp systems, R2 features the EAR Yoshino HP4 vacuum tube head amplifier with the same solid-state digital audio player. The strings have a sweeter tone with a fuller, more vibrant sounding piano and orchestra. There is more air and body to the midrange while the support from the treble and bass tones reproduces a wonderful sound through the Meze Audio ELITE isodynamic headphones. There is a slight loss in the finer and delicate details, but it is supported by a silky and liquid midrange.
Rig 3 is the ultimate source and amp system out of the three. The Meze Audio ELITE performs its best with the source and amplification components in this vacuum tube configuration. The portable digital audio player is Cayin's limited production flagship featuring an all tube I/O stage in Class-A. The interconnects remain the same through all three systems. The Little Dot MK8SE, a Class-A vacuum tube headphone amplifier, brings forth excellent audio fidelity and musicality for under $1000. The warmth and detail surpass R1 and R2 systems by wide margins. Plus, the power reserves of the LDMK8SE are larger than the EAR HP4.
The Meze ELITE has a slightly warmer tone with R3 when compared to R1 and R2 systems. Mind the readers here, the ELITE is warmer sonically compared to other Meze isodynamic models. Rig 3 adds a touch more warmth to the headphone without subtracting the details and dynamics from the sonic signature. Paying close attention to Ma, Mutter, and Barenboim's solo instruments within the orchestra, there's a wider soundstage, better defined transient and detail retrieval compared to R1 and R2. It is simply wonderful and satisfying to hear music through the R3 system.
FINAL THOUGHTS
System One is clean, clear, transparent, and neutral; traits that are great if one is searching for a configuration that is faithful without added flavoring or coloring. It can be a love/hate relationship due to the quality of the recording. Using the Meze Audio ELITE, the honesty of the systems are revealed due to the resolving nature of the isodynamic headphone. This system is my reference system for many of the reviews I conduct. It is to ensure that I hear everything thoroughly, especially when evaluating headphone performance.
System Two adds a bit of warmth while dulling some of the upper treble areas without reducing the air and transparency. During long listening sessions, seeking to hear every detail without the bone chilling neutrality and transparency, I use System Two featuring the EAR Yoshino HP4. As stated in earlier paragraphs, the Meze ELITE is tuned with a touch of warmth in its sonic signature, which is furthered by utilizing the head amp in Rig 2. The orchestra complements Ma, Mutter, and Barenboim's solo instruments contribution without the typical edge associated with Rig 1's pure solid-state source and amp stage. A slight loss in resolving character is easily shored up with linear phase transparency and oodles of musicality. Overall, this system is a great pairing with the Meze ELITE. I am very satisfied with the performance of Rig 2.
System Three is the ultimate reference headphone system, surpassing expectations in both sonic expression and cost. The Meze ELITE was transparent and full-bodied similar to the sonic signature of one of my reference loudspeaker systems. The extra warmth made it possible to sit through all nine Symphonies of Beethoven and the Decca remastered Der Ring des Nibelungen conducted by Sir Georg Solti. After experiencing the wonderful sounds of Beethoven's Symphonies followed by the precise, yet musical operatic musings of Wagner's Der Ring, I prefer R3's sonic character paired with the Meze ELITE. The intensity of the music and voices can metaphorically penetrate the heart in either a negative or positive direction. Rig 3 leans toward the positive because it facilitates extended listening of the orchestra and vocals without throwing the headphones aside due to hard tones and harshness.
Cables contribute to these assessments and the decision to use Lavricables from source-to-amplification is due to its neutral timbre and transparency. The GLS-4C utilizes 6N high-purity silver with graphene in the design to enhance shielding and ensuring signal purity. In all three systems, the cables didn't obstruct the sonic quality and fidelity of the audio. The colorations in the music were caused by the players and amplification. There may be a personal bias as I have continued to promote Lavricables not because of the price, but its sonic fidelity and quality/elegance of construction. For better or worse, headphone amplification and its implementation will color/alter the sonic characteristics of the signal driving the headphone.
Vacuum tube components do soften tones while being in-phase with the overall reproduction of both bandwidth and range. Solid-state can be made to sound like valves, yet I haven't heard one system able to match both the phasing and audio reproduction characteristics of tubes. I can agree with the many out there who EQ their audio signal paths that we do love our sound signature colored. How much depends on personal preference.
Hope this article is insightful.
Check out my blog if you dare. -> The Audiophile World
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