Why don’t tube amps sound like tubes anymore?


When I hear the latest tube amps I’m more reminded of what a solid state amp sounds like than what I remember a tube amp once sounded like. I say that, with most tube amps I hear today, but not all. Gone seems to be the lush tones, warm glow and natural harmonics I used to hear. What I hear is more of a thoroughbred, faster, sharper sound when I listen to a modern tube design today. Then why use tubes?
hiendmmoe

Showing 2 responses by mozartfan

The old SS vs Tube battle arises yet ,,once again,,, I thought that war was finished and over for all time, ,,guess not,,battle lines have been drawn. 
I am a  front line warrior for tubes. 
For me, ss technology is ,,dinosaurish.
Now I will say  quality tube gear is expensive, and NOS tubes are essential only fior pre tubes,,,power tubes new is just as good/ better than NOS (which are wayyy over priced)
A Tele pre tube is worth every penny. These  are not over priced. 
Seems everytime ~~The Final Nail in the old ss coffin~~ just doesn't seem to hold,,out come the ss gear  rising from the grave.
Translation/bottom line : ss gear is over priced and over rated. 
Note: this is not to say there is NOT some crappy tube gear out there. 
2nd note: hard to find any ss gear to come  close(midrange fq;'s in reference, not bass/nor highs) to a  quality tube  unit. 
3rd note,,I've heard a tube amp intergrated retailed for $2100 back then, now like $3500+,,  make music sound live in your room. 
can you supply  the name of a  ss lab that can match that experience? 

@ arro222
Yes I should qualify some of my dogmatic, rigid ideas  vented on my above posting, I can agree there are some highly priced *refined*n ss amps, that have gorgeous bass/highs,, and mds,, not bad, not bat at all. But as others have chimed in, tube retification, provided the design is superior and tubes , pre are NOS, power tubes are high quality,,,can over take any ss amp ona  $ vs $  comparison. 

+ change out the caps in the tube amp to any faborite (mine are Mundorf Silvergold Supreme,,if they fit ,,if not go EVO oil), and now the tube easily over takes the ss priced point matched amp in the mids. 
The intergrated i am speaking of is the JOR with the screetchy EI90's, which made voice sound live right in your listening room. 
*Concert was on, live*.
all i had to do was add in Tele pre tubes, which i had no idea about then, as i felt too pricey,,I was wrong, and sold it for 1200. 
The Jadis Defy is perfectly *neutral* as others have described a tube amp sound vs ss sound which is not 
*pure ognaic, natural, life like staging**, ss is ss and forever will be &&Solid State*, yuckky.
Now agree the single ended  tubes, i am not a  fan of, due to my preferencev for inefficient 4 ohm speakers, 

But again, what ss amp  can match light jazz /vocals comming froma  300b/805/845 tube amp? Liquid magic. ss amps can never voice ~~ liquid magic~~
aagin to qualify, there are some tube amps that  do not live up to the ~~tube magic~~ in the mids. 

But tyhen there are no ss amps, that will ever voice ~~tube magic~~.
Look fora  new vid upload soon, maybe 2 weeks, as the 6550's Svetlana just arrived and randy is installing  electrolytics. 
2 weeks, should havea upload.

paul
new orleans