In smart tube designs, the LED is functional, providing reference voltages and/or biasing.
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Rogue Audio Sphinx V3 Review (Tube Amplifier)
- Thread starter amirm
- Start date
Let's recall it's just a matter of (objective) measurements vs (subjective) feelings.
Let me exemplify it another way:
Some years ago, I had some knee trouble. MRI showed anatomic joint disorders and the radiologist said I'd never be able to play tennis any more based on the images (read measurements). Before prescribing some physio and medication, the sports physician reminded me that radiologists only cure images, not people nor symptoms. After the physiotherapy was finished I started playing serious tennis again since then without (subjective) trouble.
Conclusion is that feelings may win against facts.
Same for audio stuff. People don't listen to distortion/noise but to sound/music. Measurements are crappy but they like it ? so be it. I'm happy for them. Same for stellar measuring stuff which some may dislike.
If some stuff pleases you whatever reason, go for it, and if not don't. Just admit that what pleases you may not please someone else
Let me exemplify it another way:
Some years ago, I had some knee trouble. MRI showed anatomic joint disorders and the radiologist said I'd never be able to play tennis any more based on the images (read measurements). Before prescribing some physio and medication, the sports physician reminded me that radiologists only cure images, not people nor symptoms. After the physiotherapy was finished I started playing serious tennis again since then without (subjective) trouble.
Conclusion is that feelings may win against facts.
Same for audio stuff. People don't listen to distortion/noise but to sound/music. Measurements are crappy but they like it ? so be it. I'm happy for them. Same for stellar measuring stuff which some may dislike.
If some stuff pleases you whatever reason, go for it, and if not don't. Just admit that what pleases you may not please someone else
Regarding your knee experience, could it be that the MRI (measurement) was not problematic but that your radiologist got it wrong (interpretation)?
Measurements do help, provided someone reads / interprets them the right way.
Regarding what people like and dislike, you are making a fair point.
But consider this extreme example: Assume that someone somewhere manages to build the perfect speaker. Completely flat response across the audio band, no resonances, no distortion, nothing. Simply perfect, OK?
The fact that some people will not like it, does it make it less perfect?
My point being that I do understand that there will always be 'stellar measuring stuff which some may dislike' and vice versa, but in there there is an element of 'people have learnt to like the wrong stuff and it is hard to undo that'.
People are resistant to change. That plays its part as well.
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You guys are dancing around with non sequiturs. What people "prefer" has never been a problem for reality-based audio objectivists, but claiming to hear what is proven to be inaudible is objectionable, as are claims that distorted or colored sound is more transparent or accurate than measureable flat frequency response.
Perhaps you meant 'less transparent'?
Pure subjectivist audiophiles typically do not "claim" that their fairy-dust enhanced systems are "less" transparent.
I misread it first time around. Thx.
I though that was possible due to ASR's global membership and multiple primary languages.
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My measurements of the Sphinx V3 clearly indicate that the second harmonic is the highest in level, somewhat different from what Amir found.
For comparison, here's a properly-designed tube preamp (since we want to look at tubes used for line-stage only), the Audio Research Reference 6E:
And here's a badly-designed tube preamp, the PrimaLuna EVO 400 :
If you are going to use graphs from Stereophile in posts, I would appreciate you linking to the original reviews. My measurements of the Audio Research preamplifier can be found at https://www.stereophile.com/content/audio-research-reference-6se-line-preamplifier-measurements , the PrimaLuna preamplifier at https://www.stereophile.com/content/primaluna-evo-400-preamplifier-measurements
Thanks.
John Atkinson
Technical Editor, Stereophile[/QUOTE]
MakeMineVinyl
Major Contributor
And output tubes have a nice feature where they glow red just before going full Chernobyl.
Well, the truth is that people hear what they think they are hearing. The brain processes the information from the hearing apparatus. What people hear and what measuring equipment measures are two different things.
People like what they like and if they like distortion, they like distortion. It is what it is and it is the reason people buy this kind of product. It is their money, their ears and their brain and they are free to do as they choose.
People are free to do as they chose and one choice is to become educated about the audio products they buy and study the science behind them rather than relying on subjective reviews or marketing or showroom demonstrations. ASR provides a great wealth of objective information and a range of opinions all in one place that was previously difficult or impossible for the consumer to get. What people do with this opportunity to learn and information is up to them of course.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #195
Notice to members to please do this. Providing free access to measurements is a gift and we need to return the favor by linking to the review.
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Nope. Radiologist was definitely right. Similarly, some people (rarely but it happens) suffer (small) acute myocardial infarction based on ECG without traditional big symptoms.
Thank you for maintaining measurements in the review and keeping looking for rational explanations to what Stereophile reviewers report
charleski
Major Contributor
That’s true, I apologise for leaving out the proper links. Unfortunately the forum has a time-limit for editing posts so I can’t correct this in mine, but thank you for providing them for us.
As far as the Sphinx distortion graphs go, Amir does his snapshot at 5W, whereas yours was done at 60W and show a far higher level for the distortion components. So they’re not directly comparable, but give an indication of the likely extrapolation, which is what I tried to convey by ‘in line with’.
Since the distortion here will be almost entirely the result of the tube buffer, it seems to have been biased fairly hot such that it breaks further from linear at higher signal level. The measurements I’ve got from a (very different) tube amp suggest that the relative level of distortion components from tubes can vary quite dynamically as the output level changes, so any comparison of 2nd vs 3rd order etc would need to be done at the same level.
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"MRI showed anatomic joint disorders and the radiologist said I'd never be able to play tennis any more based on the images (read measurements)."
Unfortunately your radiologist can only base there assessment on experience, a case of informed subjectivity. Only numbers are measurements, not images. And even numbers, unless backed up by rigorous peered reviewed science, get only faulty interpretations.
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