Is there such a thing as tube sound in a ss?


I have Martin Logan Aerius i speakers, Classe Cp35 pre, Classe CA100 amp and Meridian 588 CD. I am auditioning an ARC LS17 and the ARC VS110. I love the deep and tight bass the VS110 gives me but it does not have the clarity i love from the MLs. I hooked up my Classe amp to the LS17 pre and the clarity is there but the bass is loose and undefined. Is there an SS amp that will give me that nice deep tight, defined bass the VS110 gave me but along with the clarity?
alremc

Showing 1 response by lonestarsouth

There is no such thing as "SS" or "Tube" sound. It is simply the character of an amplifier. You get "warm & fuzzy" SS amps and "Bright" tube amps as well.

Some terms are misleading.

Your description is also a bit odd. You say you get "undefined" bass with the Classe amp but "deep tight bass" with the ARC amp? I would say its the other way round. Usually tube amps have a hard time controlling woofers during lush bass passages. This might make them sound "warm and fat".

The Classe amp could have better control over the ML speakers woofers and thus cause them to sound a bit "thin". This is simply that the bass is not as "loose" as with the tube amp. The Classe amp also might be overall bright in the treble regions.

Try auditioning a hybrid power amp or a tube pre-amp with the Classe power amp.