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Post by vinculum on May 21, 2016 21:07:26 GMT
I was wondering what Ethan's thoughts of vacuum tube amplifiers for audio playback were, so I pulled out my big Audio Expert book and there is barely a mention!
I'm not a huge fan myself. I think they do fine at low power, with perhaps headphones. For medium to higher output the "feel good distortion" rises too much. Some folks like that, and thats the attraction from audiophiles. For instrument use, the distortion is part of the instrument's sounds so I'm ok with that.
What's your opinions Ethan, and why?
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Post by Hexspa on May 22, 2016 9:23:03 GMT
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Post by Ethan Winer on May 22, 2016 16:10:02 GMT
Yes, that excerpt from my Audio Expert book tells exactly what I think about tubes.  They were great when that's all we had, and I'm not opposed to tubes in guitar amps because that distortion is part of the expected sound. (Though my little Fender SideKick amp is solid state and I think it sounds great.) Bur for reproduction we want as little coloration as possible. --Ethan |
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Post by vinculum on May 23, 2016 14:15:59 GMT
Thanks for the link, Hexspa and the reply Ethan. I was looking in different chapters. One of the downsides of owning an actual book is that I can't CTRL-F and find keywords!
Obviously there are multiple reasons why solid state amplifiers can be better performers.
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Post by Hexspa on May 23, 2016 14:19:46 GMT
One of the downsides of owning an actual book is that I can't CTRL-F and find keywords! Obviously there are multiple reasons why solid state amplifiers can be better performers. And why ebooks can be better performers! |
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Post by arnyk on Aug 8, 2016 9:05:27 GMT
I was wondering what Ethan's thoughts of vacuum tube amplifiers for audio playback were, so I pulled out my big Audio Expert book and there is barely a mention! I'm not a huge fan myself. I think they do fine at low power, with perhaps headphones. For medium to higher output the "feel good distortion" rises too much. Some folks like that, and thats the attraction from audiophiles. For instrument use, the distortion is part of the instrument's sounds so I'm ok with that. What's your opinions Ethan, and why? I'm not Ethan, but I go back about as far if not further with tubes. My first amp was designed from scratch mono built out of tubes and other parts taken out of scrapped radios and TVs. Totally agree with those who point out that in the days when tubes were all we had, many people were breaking their butts trying to design amps and preamps that were as clean and transparent as possible. However, there was retro audio even then, and there were those who cherished retro designed tube amps based on Western Electric 300A tubes with input, interstage and output transformers. That was how pro audio was done in the 1930s, and for many that was all they ever wanted. The golden age of tubes was at its peak just before solid state was developed highly enough to be competitive or superior in terms of sound quality. There were and still is tubed gear that will pass an ABX listening test. Tubed gear still comes in both categories: as good as possible and intentionally hobbled, even though the best of it has been thoroughly eclipsed in terms of price, performance, and practicality for about half a century or more. |
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They were great when that's all we had, and I'm not opposed to tubes in guitar amps because that distortion is part of the expected sound. (Though my little Fender SideKick amp is solid state and I think it sounds great.) Bur for reproduction we want as little coloration as possible.