Re: arsclist Tubes will not die

[Jerome Hartke <jhartke@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Don Cox wrote:
> 
> On 18-Nov-02, McDade, Rob  (SLSA) wrote:
> > Well I might be green when it comes to what you guys are talking about
> > but the fact is is that my cheap crappy tube guitar amp sounds a lot
> > better than the cheap crappy solid state amp I used to have. IT always
> > cut through a lot better at gigs.
> 
> However, this is a very different application from transferring archive
> recordings, where what you want is accuracy rather than a punchy sound
> out of the speakers.
> 
> I don't think guitar amps are any kind of proof of the advantages of
> tubes for ARSC.
> 
> More relevant would be the use of tubes in the most expensive CD decks
> and other line level equipment. Some of the designers may be doing this
> to satisfy fashion, but there are certainly companies whose top models
> use tubes while their "almost as good" models use transistors.
> 
> http://www.musicalfidelity.com/
> 
> The most likely reason for any superiority of tubes, which is admittedly
> very hard to prove in the lab, is better behavior on transient or
> impulse signals.
> 
> Regards
> --
> Don Cox
> doncox@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In general, transient response of solid state amplifiers will be better.
Any amplifier must use lots of feedback to achieve very low harmonic and
intermodulation distortion. The incorporation of an output transformer
in tube amplifiers creates problems not present in solid state amps.

I believe that Mike and others have commented on this before.

Jerry
Media Sciences


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