Early digital had heft
March 1949 issue of Popular Mechanics, "Where a calculator like ENIAC today is equipped with 18,000 vacuum tubes and weighs 30 tons, computers in the future may have only 1000 vacuum tubes and perhaps weigh only 1½ tons."
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Do you play Bass through a solid state or valve?
- Thread starter FuzzFacetious
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Early digital had heft
March 1949 issue of Popular Mechanics, "Where a calculator like ENIAC today is equipped with 18,000 vacuum tubes and weighs 30 tons, computers in the future may have only 1000 vacuum tubes and perhaps weigh only 1½ tons."
Exactly. When I was in grade school in the late '50s, the hot new thing was transistor radios or, colloquially, a "transistor." Most of the early ones had six transistors, but being poor, mine had only two transistors. Back then, transistors were discreet elements about the size of a pencil eraser - there were no integrated circuits (at least in civilian use). Can you imagine the size of, say, an iPhone with two billion transistors if there were no integrated circuits?
In my first year of college (1966), I took a Fortran II class, and we programmed an IBM 360 computer with punch cards and left our programs overnight to be processed. My Android phone has infinitely more computing power than the 360, which had to be housed in a refrigerated room.
Incorrect sir, if you read further it was pointed out that I should have said Class D not "Digital". Solid State is not "digital" if we are talking signal processing, digital is a sampled analog signal. Solid State is a amplifier topology or circuit design.
For the first fifteen years of my playing and recording, i didn't have any tube amps or gear.
I noticed someone mention the ADA tube preamp, which I did own and use for guitar, but I totally didn't get on with that thing and soon sold it. I much preferred the SS toys I already had.
I used various solid state gear for everything: synths, bass, guitar, Stick and whatever else. Mostly stuff I made, like those cool PAiA kits using the old Craig Anderton designs.
I got all kinds of great sounds and never had to worry about tubes vs. SS. Even a power amp made from my old car stereo amp and a PSU ordered from a supply shop. That was cool because the ammeter on the PSU would work a bit like a VU when playing loud notes.
Anyway, the last fifteen years or so I've been using old tube amps, like these Traynors that I got for cheap, but the other SS stuff is mostly still around. Truth is, if I need a distortion sound, I'm probably going to have some SS pedal in front of an amp to get me the sound I'm after, even though I'm likely using a tube amp.
The PAiA compressor and tone control are pretty awesome, as is the Axe Grinder distortion pedal. If I still had a SS power amp set up, I might play and record with that.
I do have a Hafler hifi amp that isn't being used. I could bridge it by splitting a balanced output. Have to see if the tone control has plus and minus outputs in the circuit. Hmmm....
Otto
I noticed someone mention the ADA tube preamp, which I did own and use for guitar, but I totally didn't get on with that thing and soon sold it. I much preferred the SS toys I already had.
I used various solid state gear for everything: synths, bass, guitar, Stick and whatever else. Mostly stuff I made, like those cool PAiA kits using the old Craig Anderton designs.
I got all kinds of great sounds and never had to worry about tubes vs. SS. Even a power amp made from my old car stereo amp and a PSU ordered from a supply shop. That was cool because the ammeter on the PSU would work a bit like a VU when playing loud notes.
Anyway, the last fifteen years or so I've been using old tube amps, like these Traynors that I got for cheap, but the other SS stuff is mostly still around. Truth is, if I need a distortion sound, I'm probably going to have some SS pedal in front of an amp to get me the sound I'm after, even though I'm likely using a tube amp.
The PAiA compressor and tone control are pretty awesome, as is the Axe Grinder distortion pedal. If I still had a SS power amp set up, I might play and record with that.
I do have a Hafler hifi amp that isn't being used. I could bridge it by splitting a balanced output. Have to see if the tone control has plus and minus outputs in the circuit. Hmmm....
Otto
I have read a lot of STRONG opinions about how much valve amps rock and solid state amps suck on guitar forums, although I use a solid state for both and I like them, and if anyone thinks my amps suck, that's their problem
When it comes to bass players in general, is there a consensus among those who can afford top end/upper-middle tier gear, about all bass amps worthy of recognition being valve amps, or is it more of a personal preference thing, rather than a consensus?
Is your main amp tube or SS?
Yes.
Both.
While I agree, there are plenty of 20+ year old old tube amps out there that are hurting for new caps/resistors/tubes etc.
Incorrect sir, it was pointed out later on that page I should have said Class D not Digital. Solid State refers to a amplifier topology or circut design. Digital is a sampled analog signal.
I've used all tube, hybrid class A (tube front end w/ lead slead power section), full SS, and class D
My conclusion is that they all sound pretty damn good and I regret spending so much time worrying if one is really all that better than the other.
My conclusion is that they all sound pretty damn good and I regret spending so much time worrying if one is really all that better than the other.
Actually digital refers to the use of binary data encoded as present or absent charges (1s and 0s). My point is that a Class D amp will have solid state components, not tubes. (This conversation is all ones and zeros, too.)
Touche sir, and well said. Digital is as you state, but I was thinking as to Class D's topology and its reliance upon tight feedback loops and sampled signals within the circuitry to maintain it's high DC power levels despite a shifting load (AC signal) at the output stage=(Speaker excursions) and sometimes an unreliable power load at the AC power input. (Not all power connections provide good clean AC always). Other classes of solid state circuitry are either robust enough to handle these hits (boat anchor) or have a heavy amount of protection circuitry driving up production costs.
Some tube heads use solid state components in the tone controls or in the power supply section. But the presence of solid state components does not make a device digital. So many people think the 'D' in Class D means digital, and given that, it must not be any good especially if you're Neil Young.
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I think this is getting a little off track. The Class D amps are good for what they give us. Good signal for less than half the weight of old "solid state". It's a case of a digital processes that enhances current "solid state" products. But like this whole thread has been about, there are as many opinions as there are rigs out there. What ever you use love it, if not, try something else until you can. Remember it is a trip without an end.
And to add to the headaches of choice, don't forget the ICEpower Class D power amp modules. My Demeter VTBPM800D has one, not sure what other makers use them. So we have different flavors of solid state as well, MOSFETs, etc.
My avatar isn't as size representable as the actual setup. It's an Ampeg SVT-212AV, not the refrigerator.
True, tubes may not last 100 years, but neither will I, so,...............
Ooooh--nice. I LOVE 12"s---bet it sounds chunky with that amp!My avatar isn't as size representable as the actual setup. It's an Ampeg SVT-212AV, not the refrigerator.But, it does pound a great rock sound.
I understand that Class D is an amplifier topology. In virtually all cases it's produced using solid state devices.
