If "Tube Sound" Is a Myth, Why Tubes?

[Sal1950]

Well, yes. I also enjoy the hypnotic sight of tape reels rotating.

Two very costly visual effects. LOL

 

[Julf]

Two very costly visual effects. LOL

Indeed.

 

[mhardy6647]

Well, yes. I also enjoy the hypnotic sight of tape reels rotating.

 

[egellings]

Blind testing? Stoned testing? To me they are, like mother-in-law and Satan, 'bout the same.

 

[egellings]

I have tube pre and power amps and enjoy their sound through my "I see the tube amps." filter. I designed and built them myself, and attempted to get accurate sound with them. Tube mush not allowed, and a bit of negative feedback helped a lot, along with a bridged output design for the power amps ala circlotron, with the screen grid problem of that design overcome by using two floating screen grid supplies.

 

[welsh]

A interesting thing is guitarrists use the '' tubes amplifier DSP, like fractal ax8, etc '' with another tube amplifier in clean channel, not a SS amp in clean channel. Very ferw of them are into SS over tubes.

i remember this amplifier, the clean channel was clean and warm, very dynamic, you feel the strings.
View attachment 111584

 

[welsh]

For ‘hi fi’, solid state. For playing guitar, valves. The simulations are very good now, but still not quite there.

 

[BrokenEnglishGuy]

For ‘hi fi’, solid state. For playing guitar, valves. The simulations are very good now, but still not quite there.

Hmmm in my opinion they are much better now, i just realise the news SS + dsp for example from ENGL, and yeah for me they are way ahead from a typical tube amp.
a good amplifier + fractal FM3 it's just pure bliss.

 

[welsh]

Hmmm in my opinion they are much better now, i just realise the news SS + dsp for example from ENGL, and yeah for me they are way ahead from a typical tube amp.
a good amplifier + fractal FM3 it's just pure bliss.

No emulation has ever really rivalled my Tweed 5E3 Deluxe circuit. Or, for that matter, my pre top-boost Vox AC30. And I have a Kemper.

 

[CrankyRat]

The reason for Tubes has an analogy in the DIY computer world. There is not as much imagination (making things up) in the computer world however. The measurements are all you need (CPU and memory speed etc.). There is no silly debate and determining the performance of a computer is pretty straight forward.

So how do you make your computer system "cool"? RGB LED lights of course, the CASE, creative cooling options that look interesting. Other than cooling no one would be so stupid to claim RGB or the case change performance. We like pretty lights, that's all, thus RGB and Tubes.

But really, RGB LED is so much cheaper and more effective and variable. I'm old enough to see tubes as retrograde and very ugly. Like my grandmothers old, crappy, black and white TV from the sixties. Due to the look, I will never buy one, Tube amp that is.

 

[jkasch]

The reason for Tubes has an analogy in the DIY computer world. There is not as much imagination (making things up) in the computer world however. The measurements are all you need (CPU and memory speed etc.). There is no silly debate and determining the performance of a computer is pretty straight forward.

So how do you make your computer system "cool"? RGB LED lights of course, the CASE, creative cooling options that look interesting. Other than cooling no one would be so stupid to claim RGB or the case change performance. We like pretty lights, that's all, thus RGB and Tubes.

But really, RGB LED is so much cheaper and more effective and variable. I'm old enough to see tubes as retrograde and very ugly. Like my grandmothers old, crappy, black and white TV from the sixties. Due to the look, I will never buy one, Tube amp that is.

You're really old if you remember pulling all the tubes out of that old B&W TV and taking them to the drug store to test them all on their tube tester. Then purchase new ones to replace the one(s) that failed, reinstall them, and all was well with the world.

 

[CrankyRat]

You're really old if you remember pulling all the tubes out of that old B&W TV and taking them to the drug store to test them all on their tube tester. Then purchase new ones to replace the one(s) that failed, reinstall them, and all was well with the world.

I remember pterodactyls blocking the sun in the morning.

 

[mhardy6647]

I remember pterodactyls blocking the sun in the morning.

They also messed up reception, causing "ghosts" on the TV video when they roosted on the antenna on the roof...

 

[egellings]

I remember the drugstore U-Test-M testers, and attempted to get a broken TV to work. No go. Horizontal deflection driver was bad. Bought a replacement, which furiously red plated and died what must have been a miserable death for a tube.

 

[egellings]

Another time, I saw a large tube in a TV red-plate, and it got so hot that a little funnel-shaped hole slowly formed in the near molten glass, and when the tip sucked in far enough to open, a loud sucking sound was heard, and the tube turned blue & white inside and quickly died.

 

[thrash]

You're really old if you remember pulling all the tubes out of that old B&W TV and taking them to the drug store to test them all on their tube tester. Then purchase new ones to replace the one(s) that failed, reinstall them, and all was well with the world.

...or you remember soldering a point to point KT88 williamson and an EL34 FM transmitter !!!!

 

[brbsnacks]

First off I want to say I have no experience with tube amps regarding headphone amps. I do have 20+ years experiencing gigging guitar and bass tube amps. For guitar amps when you push the power tubes you get a nice compression and with gain you get very pleasing harmonics. This is only at high volumes though. If you dont have the volume up enough to push the tubes they dont sound good though and you are better off with a nice solid state. Most of the tones people chase on albums are small combo tube amps cracked up high enough to push the power tubes. With bass amps a 200 watt Ampeg would thump your chest harder than a 800 watt solid state ever could. And they give bass amps a more bouncy 3d feel.

I have no idea what to expect with a tube headphone amp when all you want is pure clean power. Maybe slight compression and more 3d bass?I'll be eager to try it out at some point. I just started this hobby a few months ago and the rabbit hole seems to be getting deep... $$$

 

[ahofer]

btw if anyone can find themselves in the Northwest corner of CT and wants a pair of VTL Deluxe 225s with original and two spare KT90s cheap, let me know.

 

[egellings]

I think I remember seeing an amplifier in which EL34s with just wires protruding from the bottom of the tube (no bases w. pins) were directly soldered into the amp's PCB. If a tube failed, you had to take it to the nearest authorized dealer for a tube change out. There was a tidy little fee for this service.

 

[gonzoucab]

First off I want to say I have no experience with tube amps regarding headphone amps. I do have 20+ years experiencing gigging guitar and bass tube amps. For guitar amps when you push the power tubes you get a nice compression and with gain you get very pleasing harmonics. This is only at high volumes though. If you dont have the volume up enough to push the tubes they dont sound good though and you are better off with a nice solid state. Most of the tones people chase on albums are small combo tube amps cracked up high enough to push the power tubes. With bass amps a 200 watt Ampeg would thump your chest harder than a 800 watt solid state ever could. And they give bass amps a more bouncy 3d feel.

I have no idea what to expect with a tube headphone amp when all you want is pure clean power. Maybe slight compression and more 3d bass?I'll be eager to try it out at some point. I just started this hobby a few months ago and the rabbit hole seems to be getting deep... $$$

I have a tube preamp, to me it sounds very well add some distorsion to the sound that feels nice in my small room, would love to have it measure to know where i stand.

im pretty sure that if it measure pretty bad is gonna start sound bad to my ear, perception...