Tube vs Solid State Amplifiers

[egellings]

Audioholics just posted:
"Tube vs Solid State Amplifiers: Which Sound Best?"

I learned a lot.

Can we learn anything new from this video, or is it what ASR already knows?

Also, at 40min:10sec, Matt from Audioholics mentioned ASR and he posted a graph from Hypex NC400's review.

Thoughts?

Which sounds best? It's in the ear of the beholder.

 

[Sal1950]

Not so much. The only issue tube preamps often have is driving low impedances; other than that, for the small voltage swings needed, the designs are easy. You have to do something really special to screw them up, and even tube preamps from the 50s and 60s can perform quite well.

My experience with them was probably not the design itself but noise from the low level tubes. ??

 

[Sal1950]

Which sounds best? It's in the ear of the beholder.

If there's an actual measurable - audible difference, the one that's closest to a straight wire with gain.

 

[egellings]

If there's an actual measurable - audible difference, the one that's closest to a straight wire with gain.

That's true if you like high accuracy in sound rather than something euphonic-sounding. Some amplifiers do have tone controls. Readers of this site would go for accuracy, natch'.

 

[Sal1950]

That's true if you like high accuracy in sound rather than something euphonic-sounding. Some amplifiers do have tone controls. Readers of this site would go for accuracy, natch'.

"Euphonics" are something that can always be added to a accurate system if desired.
OTOH if your system distorts the source from the very start, there's no way to remove it.
You'll be stuck with that sound until you decide to replace the offending component.

 

[egellings]

"Euphonics" are something that can always be added to a accurate system if desired.
OTOH if your system distorts the source from the very start, there's no way to remove it.
You'll be stuck with that sound until you decide to replace the offending component.

When I'm feeling clinical, then I hit the tone control defeat switch.