2. amps-preamps
  3. 1065398061

People who are Irrationally Afraid of tube amps

Recently I've had a tube amp For Sale on this site. It's a well respected, great amp from a major mfg. I've owned it for 3 years, with absolutely no problems, only enjoyment. I'm only selling it because I sold the speakers I used it with, & my current speakers are a lot more power-hungry. And it's the 2nd tube amp I've owned, my first being a really early model VTL ST-85 that was several years old when I bought it, then I had it for 5 years, & the only problem I had in all that time was replacing a fuse once. And I know almost nothing about electronics, but I learned how to use a multi-meter & successfully biased & replaced tubes in both amps.

Here's the thing: Almost every person who has written to me about my amp for sale asks a zillion questions, you know the routine, e-mails back & forth, then finally says they are too freaked out at the possibility of replacing tubes someday to buy it, whining about the (relatively modest) expense, etc. (And my amp has new tubes!!). Now, these queries are from presumably experienced A'goners because most of them have a large no. of positive feedback ratings here. I mean, we're not dealing with the average shopper at Circuit City, presumably.

My questions are: 1. Why do experienced A'goners waste so much time shopping for tube gear if they're freaked out over the potential traumatic effect that replacing tubes may have on them someday? There's plenty of SS gear FS if that's what they want. 2. Why do many even relatively experienced audiophiles still believe in the "tube hassles" myth? 3. Are there no tube afficiandos who are willing to put up with a minor inconvience every few years?

I feel like putting a warning in the next ad I run for a tube amp: WARNING: THIS DEVICE CONTAINS HIGHLY VOLATILE "TUBES", WHICH MAY BLOW AT ANY SECOND & COULD DESTROY YOUR ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD! USE AT YOUR OWN PERIL, PREFERABLY IN A NON-POPULATED AREA. EVEN IF THEY DON'T KILL YOU, THE TRAUMA OF REPLACING THE "TUBES" SOMEDAY COULD REQUIRE YEARS OF PSYCHOTHERAPY, & MAY BANKRUPT YOU & YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY.

Well, at least that might discourage the "tire kickers". Now, if I could just afford those Cary 805C mono-blocs I've been wanting for years........& thanks for listening to my rant!
steveaudio

Showing 6 responses by allanbhaganinfo

allanbhaganinfo
121 posts
 
Sean.
I did not say we are created equal, I said in the eyes of God, we are created equal. Unless you are God, then of course you would know.
allanbhaganinfo
121 posts
 
And the beat goes on........ and on and on
There are "Tube amps" and then there are amps that use tubes, I am not sure if they are the same and I am not sure if the Berning falls into either catagory, so I can fully understand the confusion.

I don't think it's irrational to be afraid of "some" tube amps or is it amps that use tubes??
Either is it irrational to be afraid of "some" SS amps, in the eyes of God we are all created equal but I'm afraid that's where e-quality ends :)

The Berning sounds remarkable on maggies.
allanbhaganinfo
121 posts
 
Eldartford
Where are you located? The Berning has silenced many a spec-ulator, engineers included, maybe there is a Berning customer near you.
2%THD at full output is remarkable, this is full power output THD, at 60 watts it's probably .05 and probably 3% at 77 watts, I wonder where most SS amps would spec out at 10% over there rated power output.

You need to hear it.

We heard a well respected 500 watt digital amp compared to the Berning, one sounded powerful, clean, dynamic, effortless, open and most important less compressed an distorted, prize for guessing which one it was.

I traveled 2000 miles to hear it at Tubegroover's place, with a very educated engineer from Orlando, who by the way was also sure that the big amp was going to kill the little amp.

Results,... well Tubegroover is more cocky now, ain't he :)
allanbhaganinfo
121 posts
 
Ozfly, I was just correcting an interpretation and having a little fun, no conflict here.

But Sean does have very good point, we aren't all created equal, so why is every tube amp lumped into "Tube amp" category, as if they were all created equal?
allanbhaganinfo
121 posts
 
Johnk, you maybe right if you sum all amps that have tubes into one category but the Berning is different animal all together, what we assume is tube coloration is really transformer coloration.

David Berning has done presentations to other physicists where he shows that tubes can react as fast as SS devices, however the problem is, we are somewhat stuck in the past with the designs of tube equipment and as audiophiles we too want big heavy SUV type amps in our homes, we relate weight and size to quality and sound, so how good can a ten pound amp sound.
Well we have put this amp up against some very big competition, many SS stuff, in front of a lot of people, guys from the Chicago audio society, manufacturers and engineers, all with the same startling results, so maybe there is a exception to the rule that all tube amps are the same, maybe you just need to hear this amp.

There are several speaker companies using the ZH-270 as their design reference, Merlin, Sonus Faber, Cain&Cain, as well, there are Berning amps in recording studios.

Down Side, due to the complexity and manufacturing time of the amp, less than two dozen are made a year, currently sold out until January-February next year and probably a dozen people or more in the wings waiting for a used one to pop up.

I will try an see if I can get you an audition but I know of no one in your area.
Do you travel anywhere?
allanbhaganinfo
121 posts
 
Once live music hits a microphone, it's colored from then on, all you can try an do is reproduce what was recorded without adding anymore colorations, that is, if that is what the end user wants but some want that warm feeling and others want that dryer sound.

The Berning really sounds like neither but can sound like either, depending on your associated equipment.

The Berning never draws attention to itself, as well as it shouldn't, it's one ugly amp :) (sorry guys) an amp only a owner of one can relate too.
More to discover