Tube vs. Solid State Amplifiers
Tubes are more interesting and for my tastes simply sound more like the real thing. Also tubes make the owner of a tube amp seem more interesting than otherwise as you can say to people, "I use tube amps" and stand back as they note how interesting that is...or they simply don't care...damn...*sniff*... This! ^ :-D |
Watts are watts as long as the load is a simple resistor. As soon as you're driving a complex impedance with resistance, inductance, and capacitance it might be better to say that current is current. And many (most) solid state amps use current limiters to protect their output stages from excessive current draw by their loads. A SS amp that will happily say, 5 Amps into an 8 ohm resistor, will complain mightily if the phase angle of the load shifts towards 90 degrees and the impedance becomes much lower, drawing current the amp can't cover, so on come the the current limiters, at far less than the rated power. Good SS amps have power supplies and output stages that can handle complex loads, but 'watts per dollar' amps have to cut corners, and the easiest places to do so is in the output stage current handling and power supply. |
Tubes are more interesting and for my tastes simply sound more like the real thing. Also tubes make the owner of a tube amp seem more interesting than otherwise as you can say to people, "I use tube amps" and stand back as they note how interesting that is...or they simply don't care...damn...*sniff*... |
FWIW I wanted to add that the opposite can also be true as well, that a ss preamp coupled with tube amplification can be quite beautiful/satisfying... I own a Line Magnetic LM-508ia and when used with a solid state preamp (in this case the CODA 07x), the overall sound was better IMO than using the unit with its 6SN7 preamp section (even with NOS tubes)... ENJOY! |
I can attest to the “revelatory” experience when I put the AGD Audions in my system. For me, it was the clarity without being at all etched or harsh/strident. It was also the frequency extension and control over the low end with my high sensitivity loudspeakers. I’m a SET/Class A lover (always will be) and yet these monoblocks provide the best of both worlds that I’ve personally experienced...never say never, right? Initially I had paired it with a few excellent SS preamps which didn’t disappoint. However, pairing it with the right tube pre, I’ve achieved personal audio nirvana. It’s a musical presentation I had found elusive until now. So it simply isn’t an either/or thing IMO...It’s proper synergy for your particular system that can demonstrate that tubes and ss can get along quite well as a team. D |
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The AGDs are transformative. Different from other Class D based on the only GAN MOSFET designed for Audio. Patented. Right now listening to an Opera recording. Never cared that much for it. I never wanted to hear all that screeching. Now hearing the emotion, the dynamics and an overall SQ that brings goose bumps! The current price for the Audions is $8350. The performance is worth $83500! |
I learned a lot and radically improved my system after my AG thread, ”Is there a SS amp that can satisfy a SET guy?”. I did discover a few and have forever moved away from 8 watts of 300B. I found a SS Class D amp that, with super low distortion and amazing detail, has become my last amp... the AGD Audion mono blocks. Not only do I have more than enough power for my speakers, I hear SQ never imagined. I have never heard a sound that was as smooth and musical as great SET and a clear window into the music. And, incredibly, now there is no such thing as a “bad” record. The AGD when combined with my speakers and the rest of a lovely system uncovers the musical essence in every LP. This is something that I have never experienced with any amp in 50 years. All the AGD owners I have communicated with and all the reviewers have had the exact same experience. |
Tubes are nothing but power bulbs. Archaic, noisy, additive in distortion artifacts.Clearly you have not listened to a HQ tube amp in the last decade or even two. But you are entitled to your opinion. I have High End Tube Amps and High End SS ( Simaudio, PASS, AR, AH and QS) gear in my home and they are matched with the appropriate Impedance and Sensitivity speakers and they all sound GREAT! Each with their own character and flaws. But I appreciate them for what they do well and for me it is about the music not the gear. Being an analog guy I prefer valves to SS. Enjoy the music Earl. |
@ejr1953 The Cary Audio link you posted is a general description with some general guidelines for Cary Audio amplifiers. Having owned various Cary tube amps and Cary SS amps both, I can share their solid state amp offering has its own sound signature too compared to other manufacturer SS amplifiers. Each of their tube amps sound different within their line as well. With a SS amp, you are more pinned down to one sound of that amp. You can play with interconnect and speaker cables to help fine tune it a little more. With tube amps you can alter the sound with different input & output tubes some; while speaker impedance and speaker efficiency becomes more critical. Selecting well matched speakers for a particular tube amp can make a huge difference in how the entire systems sounds. Speaker selection is a key first step and it dictates what type and power level of amps to use in either case if you are looking to achieve a well matched setup. |
@earlflynn Look at the M40.1's impedance. https://www.stereophile.com/content/harbeth-m401-loudspeaker-measurements It may be specc'd at 86dB, but the impedance averaged over the whole frequency range is actually well over 8 ohms. |
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My tube amps sound better to me than my SS amps. The vast majority of the best systems I’ve heard were driven by tubes. Tubes bring me closer to the performance. I hear more. The sound stage sucks me in. I tended to stick with my SS amps for a year or two before moving on because I was looking for more, and it seemed I was always playing them louder to get a sensation. I stuck with the tubes for 32 years, and don’t plan to change, and can play them at any volume and get that thrill. If you don’t listen past just the tonal balance, you might not notice the benefits of tubes. There are pros and cons with each....tubes tend be expensive, inefficient, and require more attention, but their reward is well worth it to me. |
Tubes and ss amps both have their pluses and minuses. IME, tube amps tend to give one a better ’gestalt’ of the music, while ss amps tend to be a little more controlled and in some ways ’predictable’ as to their presentation. Where i do think ss amps may be a little better, is in their reliability, mainly due to the tube aging cycle. However, I personally prefer a great tube amp for all it can do SQ wise over most ss amps. The best is to own both designs...that way there is no wrong. Just different flavors, IMO. |
Tubes are nothing but power bulbs. Archaic, noisy, additive in distortion artifacts. Power bulbs hold no mysterious, intangible aura for me. They are plagued by problems. Well executed solid state designs have so many advantages that are too numerous to list. AND SS amplifiers mop the floor with power bulbs in every audible specification and sound quality. Its actually hilarious how much $$$$ folks pay for power bulb amps! Give me a break, already!! I still have my fathers power bulb amp collection. All restored and cleaned, back to better-than-new. 1950-1962 designs. Meh. Sold my Conrad Johnson’s and Carvers. No thanks. Power bulbs just don’t get you there. |
Speaker sensitivity is key. Harbeth M40 speaker is not going to perform well with say a Raven Blackhawk.
Output: 20wpc Technical Features Frequency response Impedance Sensitivity Amplifier suggestion Power handling Dimensions Connectors Weight Space needs Stands Packing Grille colour |
I've heard some (who are much more knowledgeable than me) say that a tube amp and solid state amp which are rated at the same output power in practice will not drive a speaker to the same level, that in selecting amplifier power levels, you would get similar results from lower powered tube amps.This is a well-known myth and has a simple explanation. This is all about distortion and not sound pressure- if you use a sound level pressure meter you'll find this is the case. Tube amps can overload far more gracefully than solid state (when solid state overloads its very obvious and easy to hear), while at the same time generating a bit of the harmonics that the ear uses to sense sound pressure- so they can **sound** as if they are louder when in fact they are not. As many have put it before: watts are watts. |
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