2. amps-preamps
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Question about wpc on tube amps

I have been kind of looking at tube amps based on what people seem to think about them.

Here is my question- whenever I look at the wpc, they are remarkably low vs. a solid state amp for the money. 

It leaves me scratching my head. Then, somewhere I read that you can't compare a tube amp with a solid state amp . Something along the lines of "10 watts of tube power equals 100 watts in a SS amp". 

What? Is this real?  Seems unlikely to me. 

Are the wildly low power ratings on the tube amps I am looking at simply due to the fact I am looking at $1,000 amps vs the bajillion dollar amps you guys buy?

Would I be better off spending the money on a tube preamp for the "tube" sound I always hear about. 

I am running Magnepan . 7's  with a Bryston amp. Since the . 7's are power hogs are tubes even a realistic thing for me in my lowish budget? 

Thanks! 

 

timintexas

Showing 1 response by emergingsoul

emergingsoul
1,242 posts
 

@mulveling 

Thank you for Great comments, this is the most I have learned when it came to tube amps. I'm trying to find a way to biamp using solid state for bass and tubes for the mid/tweeter. My existing solid state mono block amp has plenty of power for my main speakers, but I'm pursuing a fantasy that biamping with a tube amp would generate benefits. I'm looking at the recently designed Ss/tube combo amplifiers from McIntosh as a way to better address versus doing four separate monos to do biamping, which may not be that worthwhile to do.
 

@realworldaudio 

amazing comments, and very very technical,  clearly a lot to think about.

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