2. amps-preamps
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differences between tube and solid state designs

this topic may have been beaten to death.

however, my experience attending ces shows has demonstrated to my eras that the differences between push pull tube and solid state amplifiers sound very similar.

i notice today's tube amps, e.g., contad johnson, audio research, wolcott audio, etc., do not exhibit many of the classic colorations associated with tube designs and sound a lot like solid state, especially with respect to frequency response, i.e., spectral balance.

there may be still be slight audible differences between the 2 formats.

has anyone perceived a narrowing of sonic differences between the two designs and if so if differences are slight, why buy a tube amp.

note, i have deliberately excluded class a and single ended amps, at low wattage, from this discussion. some of them have more of a vintage or classic tube sound, especially relative to bass and treble response.
mrtennis

Showing 1 response by jea48

jea48
4,704 posts
 
I didn't mean that tubers were trying to fix or flatten tube sounds by changing cables etc... all I meant was that tubes tend to accentuate these changes whilst SS gear often makes these kind of changes almost inaudible.

Therefore people with tubes tend to have a different view of cables and interconnects than people who use SS amps.
>>>>

I spent a lot more time and money changing out ics and speaker cables with SS equipment. Never satisfied with the sound I was hearing. Since I moved to tubes, preamp and power amp, I don't even think about changing cables. As for rolling tubes to change the sound, yes, I have in the preamp, (Sonic Frontiers Line One). Not because I did not like what I was hearing, but more of what I might hear from my system with other tubes.
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