Solid State vs. Tubes - What if Transistors came first?


What do you guys think?

If transistors came first, and then decades later tubes were invented, would we have any tube amps we would call high end?

Wouldn’t they all fail to reach the height of performance and transparency set by transistor amps?

Best,

E

P.S. I love Conrad Johnson. I'm just wondering how  much of our arguments have to do with timing. 
erik_squires

Showing 3 responses by fleschler

I haven't read the entire thread but here goes.

My pre-amp and phono amp use subminiature tubes.  They are military rated for minimal vibration (extreme, like for use in bombs and portable delicate equipment) are ultra low noise (not as much as a transistor but better than it's 12AX7 or 6SN7 counterparts) high output, relatively cool running, and lastly 100,000 hour use rating.  They sound fantastic in my gear and minimize the size of the gear as well.

My 125w. tube amps run in voltage regulated mode (not triode, SET, ultralinear).  After 3 hours, you can place your hand on the output transformers (Peerless) and it will be about 90 to 100 degrees warmth.  

I did not enjoy listening to CDs as much as analog until I purchased an EAR Acute CD player which can use NOS Amperex 6922s.  

Sure, I've tried Counterpoint hybrid and a host of SS amps and pre-amps.  Even the Yamaha's C4 preamp ran silent with great tonal quality but had a flat soundstage.  Many SS preamps and amps I tried just couldn't bring the sound to life like tubes.  Until 2005, I tried 40 or 50 amps and pre-amps over 30 years until I found what I liked.  

I have heard some great sounding SS pieces at audio shows but more often enjoyed the sound of tube gear, including some high power SETs but mostly Class A/B designs.  
lous- I wonder how VAC manages to get 100 watts from a pair of KT88s in their 200iq amp without prematurely blowing them up in Class A/B configuration.  They tightly regulate the tube bias and have oversized/massive transformers of high quality.  Are you able to figure it out?  Their amps never sound undersized or hazy.
Oh, so bridged mode allows a 50% increase without exceeding distortion performance standards.  I forgot about the RM-200 which I also liked and heard many years ago.  I doubt that Kevin Deal is selecting tubes which only exceed specs as many people reported excellent results with NOS and other brands of current tubes as well.  I just thought that pushing the tubes harder, if that's what 100+ watt per pair might due, would lessen their effective life.  I know several friends with Audio Research gear of the 1990s/2000s who decry the short lifespan of their output tubes.  

My output tubes are run conservatively (6-6BG6) to produce 125w.  So cool that the transformers are just barely warm to the touch after 3 hours of dynamic music listening.  They last about 3,000 hours (luckily they are NOS and cost only $7 a tube).