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Are differences just in our heads or just mine?

lexi said:
Hi Greg.
The EL84 valve is really a guitar amp valve. Gutarists use it to enhance sound. Gives that crisp tone etc. They are interested in effect and embellishment.

Obviously the transformers have effect on sound too. It is possible that people got tired of amps sounding neutral and not influencing sound just as they got tired of tone controls.

You can't be sure about anything in hi fi as you dont' sit with the master tape for comparison. So having seen a few phases and trends come and go, it is just an idea that has possibilities in this somewhat daft hobby :D
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Lexi, my interpretation from your comment was that valves are coloured per se, which of course would be (if that's what you meant) incorrect. Some circuit topologies of course do add warmth/richness and this is sometimes used deliberately in production or playback, but this isn't a fundamental characteristic of "valves". Some topologies are utterly linear by design and the very nature of their tubes.
 
darrylfunk said:
how is it not the same for both signals and why would it degrade the signal so much as to obliterate any differences when they are pretty much the same as any normal volume control....????
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Well, for example, if the adjustment trimpot is between the preamp and the power amp, then it could screw with the output impedance of the preamp. If it's a poor quality control, it could kill detail and mask differences. I doubt that the average dealer-quality switch box is very transparent.
 
For example, in the 1970s Advent used to sell a speaker A-B switchbox to dealers that allowed them to adjust for the varying efficiency of different speakers. I guess there was some sort of rheostat between the amp and each speaker. Since Advent's speakers were among the least efficient boxes available at the time, their own speakers would typically be displayed with no attenuation, and with the competing product brought down to the same level through the switcher, all competing models were at a disadvantage.

But it had a remote control the dealer could hand to the customer...
 
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