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I think that my posts are clear... I will not change my word... It is ok to have a specific preference for a specific tubes design or a specific S.S. design in specific coupling component but generalizing to ALL tubes design over ALL S.S. design or the reverse is pure prejudice... Not informed knowledge about specific implementation ...See my video above by Bob Carver who know better than you or me ... Synergy rule over design not design over synergy ... i dont put any tube design or S.S. design over all others possible choices as some do A PRIORI ; i know that each case of design and synergy is unique , the preference for one does not entail meaningless general claim as : tubes is better than S.S. in ALL CASE ... This is a prejudice ...as the OP title indicated speaking about a better presentation ... Some are , in some coupling ; some other are not.... be it tubes or S.S.
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I am not sure what one means about presentation. When I play my system, and I will use in this case, a fav recording of mine, A Tribute To Jack Johnson, the presentation is all about hearing the band members do their thing, the written composition by Miles, and the excitement and energy of the music, which my system allows, to completely engage me. No tubes anywhere. In fact, my latest listen was with my Jungson JA 99C, and the listening experience was glorious. I listen at least one hour a day, and no matter who I listen to, I am engaged. Without a question, a " stage " is presented, and I easily hear the acoustics of the space........, but WHAT is going on, on the stage, is what matters most to me. For my 50 plus years, this is what it has all been about....the musicianship. Try it, you might like it. Enjoy ! MrD. |
Tubes sound better, (especially linear triode tubes) because they have less distortion than bipolar transistors or FETs. They might not have less distortion in circuit, but transistors need some kind of feedback and triode tubes do not. I also think the size of the device has something to do with it, I have noticed that larger tubes in preamps sound better to my ear than smaller devices, tubes included. This may have something to do with microphonics, the old globe style triodes sound better than coke bottle tubes of the same manufacturers. |
Now Bob Carver is a legendary audio component designer... Dont trust my words listen to him at 16 minutes in this video talking about S.S. done right and tubes amplification... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ9USqpclWc&t=2s By the way Sansui made the same thing emulating perfectly their best tubes amplifier in a S.S. design and they did it EXACTLY as a public test behind veil ... I own one of their best S.S. design in the alpha series ... it sound so good i returned my last upgrade after one hour and it was one of the best tube design in the world... Synergy matter more than tubes versus S.S. a no more meaningful debate for decades now... The implementatrion of a design matter more than the material components ... Next thread! |
There is timbre presentation, there is all spatial aspects of the presentation , there is the general immersiveness impression ... Today nothing of that is reserved to tube amplification or to S.S. amplification... Each tubes amplifier and each S.S. amplifier is a specific case... Now add to that class D ... And any other variation ...Between integrated or amp and pre-amp... As larsman just said :
Prejudices are not knowledge...
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But what is it in the sound that gives this? It is not just more harmonics as that is synthesized in modern DACs and it is no where near the same. It is not linear distortion as tubes can be as flat as anything. ( And it is easy to turn down the treble ). Is it the better dynamic linearity? Is it a clue that a 12W tube amplifier can sound as "big" as a 100W bi-polar? Less IMD? Difference in how they behave at clipping vs SS? Higher noise floor that masks nasties? Or a noise floor that is more constant and not pumping?
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Yes and I am with @knotscott on "correct presentation" or correct distortion. |
