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Tube sound Comes, mainly, from? Pre or Power?

I quite like the tube sound and I have become accustomed to it since I was a little kid. So in my own pursuit of the tube sound I have come up with a hypothesis, and I am not sure if it is in fact correct. The way I see it, the phono section and the preamp section pull about a 50-100 multiple the of the amplification done by the power section. Would it be reasonable to assume that the majority of the tube sound would come from the pieces of equipment that do the most amplification (phono and line pre), in terms of multiples? If so this would explain a popular tube pre, solid power combinations that many people utilize. Let me know what you think. I am very curious. Thanks, and please keep in mind that despite the fact that I have been listening to tubed equipment since I was born, I know very little about it and I am in the process of building up my first system.
dfelkai

Showing 2 responses by almarg

almarg's avatar
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
I agree with everything Tvad said, including his concluding statement indicating that there are lots of differing opinions as to tube preamp + solid state power amp vs. solid state preamp + tube power amp.

I'll add that I have never encountered, and I can't envision, any particular reason why there should be a correlation with voltage amplification, assuming everything is high quality (e.g., the phono stage has low noise levels). And keep in mind that it is the power amp which provides vastly greater amplification, if defined in terms of either current or power.

Interesting and thoughtful question, though.

Regards,
-- Al
almarg's avatar
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almarg
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What then is the rational behind tube pre + Solid power

Apart from the fact that there are many who believe that that combination can provide the best sound (and I am NOT one of them, as I indicated), and apart from the practicality/ease of use factors alluded to above, I think that perhaps the most frequently applicable rationale would be that for some speakers a solid state power amp is simply the best match.

Solid state power amps typically have lower output impedances than tube power amps, which makes them more suited to speakers that have low impedances and/or impedances which vary widely as a function of frequency.

Also, speakers with low efficiency/sensitivity may require more power (and/or current) than is practical or cost effective to obtain from a tube amp.

As I say, though, I am not in that camp. I consider amplifier-friendly impedance characteristics, and moderate-to-high efficiency, to be important criteria in speaker selection, in large part because of the resulting flexibility in choice of amplifier.

Regards,
-- Al
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