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"tube watts" versus "solid state watts"

I'm sure you, like me, have seen it written more than once that brand X tube amplifier, rated at 30WPC, sounded more powerful / more authoritative than brand Y solid state amplifier, also rated at 30WPC. Or that brand Z tube amp, only rated at 15W, was comfortably able to drive brand A speakers, because those 15 were tube watts and therefore up to the job. Heck, I think I've even heard the phenomenon with my own ears.

My question is: is there any basis in electrical engineering for this effect? Can we say scientifically what's going on here?
twoleftears

Showing 3 responses by eldartford

eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Unsound...How about a Hybrid?
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Arahl...Some SS amps have circuitry which detects when clipping is imminent, and limit gain so as to behave very much like a tube amp when overdriven. Also, consider that SS amps are, for any price point, much more powerful than tube amps, so that when the tube amp is clipping the SS amp is not.
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Actually...a watt is current times voltage. It is unlikely that an amplifier will "run out" of voltage capability at the same time that it runs out of current capability. You could have an amplifier with low "rail" voltages that could deliver huge amperage at a low output voltage. This would, of course, be a waste because the amperage actually drawn is determined by the voltage and the impedance of the speaker. Similarly an amp might swing a high voltage into a light load, or for a brief time, but be limited in steady state performance by current delivery capability. Still, there are enough technical grounds to support an audiophile argument that a "tube watt" is better than a "SS watt". It doesn't take much technical ground to support an audiophile argument :-)
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