Hear as many different amps as you can! Haunt dealer showrooms. When I got into this 30 years back I had heard Cary Audio and a few others and was repelled by their unctuous sound. Then by chance I heard a Manley Stingray at a dealer and was surprised and impressed - a very different kind of amp. So I want to echo people above that tube vs solid state may not be the best way to divide up the world.
-
Welcome to ASR. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!
Wanting To Learn About Tube Amps
- Thread starter Thrill Killer
- Start date
Tom C
Major Contributor
Very nice! Thanks.
Definitely not a headphone fan let alone tube amps these days. Just don't see the point to either for the most part. What "differences" are you experiencing to necessitate all the various gear you've used so far? So hard to confirm what one might "hear" with headphones otoh....
Holmz
Major Contributor
I have some tube gear, but why?
What is it about your system that you do not like?
Just try to like it if you can.
OP
Thrill Killer
Member
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2019
- Messages
- 21
- Likes
- 7
- Thread Starter
- #25
I've had tube gear too. I have a tube amp in my work shop setup. As to "but, why". Because I want to, is why. I've never had a headphone tube amp. And want to try it out. I read a lot of post here on on other forums. Listened to what various people had to say. Read a lot of sites. Read a lot of reviews and watched reviews on YT. And I found an amp that is what I'm looking for as far as to type and sound, functionality too. That decision came about because of all of the advice I received. Starting with the Cayin HA-3A. I know what it is, what it does. And it will suit me. It arrives on Friday.
OP
Thrill Killer
Member
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2019
- Messages
- 21
- Likes
- 7
- Thread Starter
- #26
Sometimes I just can't CRANK IT in the house. HPs are a great way to listen. For me anyways.
You forgot marketing and sales as a factor in creating tube hifi gear.
Because tubes sell. Even though tube stuff can be really expensive and its performance is mediocre or downright awful sometimes. The myth of the soft, nice tube sound lives on and it sells.
If you want to create tube sound cheaply or even for free, check out @Curupira in #6.
I think tubes are for tech-savvy DIYers who like vintage technology to tinker with. Kind of like if you have the opportunity, gragage, and can repair cars that you then have a vintage car to tinker with.
For example this one, which turned out to be a good tube amp:
Building a valve amplifier
One of my next projects is a valve amplifier. I built many solid state amplifiers and I'm very happy with these. I always considered valve amplifiers as being vastly inferior to solid state one but nevertheless I would like to build one to measure it and to listen to it. From all the available...
www.audiosciencereview.com
As long as you know roughly what tubes vs solid state means in terms of performance then why not....
Why???Because I can afford to. It's also why I still have a TT. It's old school, it's nostalgia. I want to own different kinds of set ups. I always have over the decades.
...invest in nostalgia, old school. It's a hobby so you do exactly what you want as long as you're happy, pleased and satisfied with it.
Last edited:
I took a tube ‘journey’ it was very short and I got off as fast as I could.I think many of us have to go the valve/tube route, at least for a while, in our journey. My take today is to go right ahead, but choose carefully and make sure you're aware of the pitfalls, costs on occasion and performance compromises in almost all domestic-audio valve designs
Keith
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2019
- Messages
- 15,976
- Likes
- 36,106
Pretty much.
(FWIW) I like and enjoy the fact that a circuit of less than a dozen easily obtainable parts (albeit fairly carefully chosen ones) can be connected together with some wire and reproduce music with a remarkable degree of quality.
This is a stereo power amp, so about two dozen parts.
EDIT: For completeness, this is the original design (by Joseph Esmilla, with a driver stage straight from the RCA "Receiving Tube Manual" charts for resistance coupled amplifiers). The driver stage of this particular amp (built by Nate G., not me, in full disclosure -- my own builds are considerably sloppier
)is slightly modified from the "OG." 
source: https://jelabsarch.blogspot.com/2012/06/je-labs-simple-452a3.html
Similar,y, Nelson Pass's Amp Camp Amp gives any schlub who can solder (Hey! I am an element of that set!) the opprotunity to experience that same process of discovery and satisfaction in the solid state domain -- and leaves out those pesky, lethal high DC plate voltages.
The ACA also isn't technically hifi, nor was it meant to be, but it does reproduce input program material (music) in a remarkably satisfying way.source: https://www.firstwatt.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/art_amp_camp_1.pdf
It's kind of like making one's own beer. The joy of the process is the process.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2019
- Messages
- 15,976
- Likes
- 36,106
Having invoked my two fellow audio-enablers... here we are
Holmz
Major Contributor
The voltages can be high, but you would be likely to learn something, and it is better than sitting in a pub.
Enjoy the process.
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2019
- Messages
- 15,976
- Likes
- 36,106
Haven't had that restriction generally. Don't like wearing them myself is the biggest reason. Was more curious whether all the gear changes you're doing actually get you somewhere....
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2019
- Messages
- 15,976
- Likes
- 36,106
I, also - and FWIW* - don't like wearing headphones at all.
Besides which: Listening to loud sound using something up against - or in - one's ears sounds like a recipe for hearing loss sooner rather than later, since the damage is cumulative (edit: and irreversible).
_______________
* which ain't much, especially in the context of the thread's topic.
Besides which: Listening to loud sound using something up against - or in - one's ears sounds like a recipe for hearing loss sooner rather than later, since the damage is cumulative (edit: and irreversible).
_______________
* which ain't much, especially in the context of the thread's topic.
DSJR
Master Contributor
I completely forgot a cheeky low powered little valve amp I had extreme pleasure using one morning some years back. It's gone now, but good used ones might come up - the QUAD VA1, with one RCA plus digital inputs and around 12WPC into 8 ohms with a few more Watts around the 6 ohm mark if I read the specs correctly.
quad-hifi.co.uk
Lovely thing to use and 'hear music' via, It should give its valves an easy long life with luck (I was told that the late Tim de Paravicini had a big hand in Quads modern valve amp designs but can't verify that sadly). If pushed beyond its modest limits it simply soft clips, sounding rather out of breath without biting one's head off as too many underpowered solid state amps do. Sure the distortion is at 'domestic valve amp' levels and it's obviously way too meek for many situations, but for a desktop system with efficient speakers, it's a delight I think. Gone from production now so I expect it didn't sell as well as hoped. there's a preamp version as well, which I never used...
VA-One
With a footprint measuring just 18 x 33cm, the VA-One is conveniently compact for a valve amp – sufficiently small to sit comfortably on a desk, table or shelf. Yet it packs in a wealth of high-performance audio technology: a hi-res DAC (Digital-to-Analogue Converter) joins valve-based preamp...
quad-hifi.co.uk
Lovely thing to use and 'hear music' via, It should give its valves an easy long life with luck (I was told that the late Tim de Paravicini had a big hand in Quads modern valve amp designs but can't verify that sadly). If pushed beyond its modest limits it simply soft clips, sounding rather out of breath without biting one's head off as too many underpowered solid state amps do. Sure the distortion is at 'domestic valve amp' levels and it's obviously way too meek for many situations, but for a desktop system with efficient speakers, it's a delight I think. Gone from production now so I expect it didn't sell as well as hoped. there's a preamp version as well, which I never used...
OP
Thrill Killer
Member
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2019
- Messages
- 21
- Likes
- 7
- Thread Starter
- #36
Peterinvan
Senior Member
I have had several tube amps over the years and sold them to switch over to solid state amps. But I became curious again...
My "one tube" hybrid amp from Schiit ($150 plus another $50 for a Russian 6N26P tube) is now my reference desktop system.
My "one tube" hybrid amp from Schiit ($150 plus another $50 for a Russian 6N26P tube) is now my reference desktop system.
OP
Thrill Killer
Member
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2019
- Messages
- 21
- Likes
- 7
- Thread Starter
- #38
Nice little set up you have there.
After two days and 5-6 hrs in. With mixed tubes in my amp. I'd say the sound is very good. I say that as I have nothing to compare it with. As this is my first HP tube amp. What I'd like as personal preference is the Mids being about 15'ish % more Forward. As for the Top End. Not for there needs to be "More" Treble. Just what is there to have more definition and "Sparkle" or "Shimmer".
After two days and 5-6 hrs in. With mixed tubes in my amp. I'd say the sound is very good. I say that as I have nothing to compare it with. As this is my first HP tube amp. What I'd like as personal preference is the Mids being about 15'ish % more Forward. As for the Top End. Not for there needs to be "More" Treble. Just what is there to have more definition and "Sparkle" or "Shimmer".
beeface
Addicted to Fun and Learning
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2017
- Messages
- 530
- Likes
- 1,260
Sparkle and shimmer? Maybe try some Windex
If you want certain frequencies to be attenuated or amplified, the most sensible option is using a software-based equaliser
Cwopete5
Member
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2020
- Messages
- 57
- Likes
- 97
https://tubemaze.info/ was my go-to reference back when I was a “tube head”.
I’ve gone through several iterations of amplification since ending my tube adventures.
I ultimately landed with discrete transistor amplification (read no op amps) from 1975.
I really enjoyed my time in Tube Land while it lasted. “Tube Rolling” (swapping tubes for different sounds and effects) was a lot of fun, albeit expensive.
I’ve gone through several iterations of amplification since ending my tube adventures.
I ultimately landed with discrete transistor amplification (read no op amps) from 1975.
I really enjoyed my time in Tube Land while it lasted. “Tube Rolling” (swapping tubes for different sounds and effects) was a lot of fun, albeit expensive.
