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In your humble opinion

#21
OK... tube head user - 80 lb head with a ton of tubes is the life I wanna lead.

Anyway... I would say if you have a tube driven pre amp (so one of they D / Hybrids, like the TerrorBass) or a tube driven pre pedal into a Class D (there's a wide variety of these), you're going to get as close as you can.

I can say with full confidence after using my TB1000 for about 5 years and A/B it with other heads, it's not the same - even if it's close. The breakup is definitely there but even though it's super loud it never quite matched the oompf. I've heard a lot of rigs of pretty much every variety at this point. You can get close, but without a valve driven power section I've yet to hear a single rig that does the thing.

Does that thing matter? That's all taste. Lots of class D amps are great sounding and pristine. To me though, there's a bit of a sterility I don't love.

All of the above is just my experience. Quite possible I'm wrong and would fail a listening test? I dunno, but I forever found SOMETHING missing in my tone until I made the switch, now... not so much. Could all be in my head though.
 
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#23
IME some all-tube amps sound like solid state amps until you drive the power section. If this drive is the end goal in your inquiry I'd say you may want to seek out MOSFET power sections.

I found the Marshall guitar amps like the Lead 12, Lead 100 and vintage modern line really cop the feel and behavior of power tube drive. I think they even had a "MOSFET 100" head too. Gig/louder volume bass amps, though? Slim pickings. But the question that was mentioned above.."could you tell in a blind test?" Probably really is relevant. I doubt I could tell.
 
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#27
I'm not well versed on current amps (haven't purchased on in literally decades), but I am aware there are amps with a tube pre-amp section and a class D power amp section, and the tube preamp is where you get the tone you are looking for. I'm sure some other TB'ers will know which companies/models have this.
 
#28
Ampslut said:
My Ampeg PF500 sounds like a tube Ampeg but, it doesn't feel like a tube amp. I've never played a SS amp of any class AB or D that responded like a tube amp. However, now that I've played SS for many years, I prefer it.
Click to expand...

...and this is the real rub of the thing isn't it. You can get something to sound like something, but not quite to feel like something. I was honestly able to get a a line 6 Helix to sound not just like an Ampeg, but literally 'my' Ampeg tone coming through the PA. But I'd be lying to say that it 'felt' the same even at an impressive volume. This is where a good compressor will get you most of the rest of the way. Something that gives a controlled amount of squish.

But...

TBH...

I don't want there to be something that sounds and feels as good as standing in front of 2x810's and a CL run @ 2ohms. That experience should be earned with the hard labor of not only moving a rig of that size, but knowing how to use a rig of that size. It's not just a hammer you buy at the hardware store and start swinging with. It is something that one has to learn to wield. Capable of anything. It is a multi leveled spiritual experience that I doubt can be synthesized in any real way. It is truly sublime when you can get an SVT to sweat a bit. People who have done it, know what the heck I'm talking about. It's a mythical place I've been only a handful of times, that I doubt I will ever see again, but I remember what it was like to stand in front of that dragon as it breathed fire in a room big enough to take it, in a band where such grandiose display of eardrum treachery was warranted. Loud enough to scare the gods and put a smile on the eternal devils face. Tone like a 10,000 pound Bosendorfer being played by the left hand of a giant Art Tatum. Rich, thick, creamy yet clear, overtones that seemed to ring to the outer reaches of the known universe. Better than sex. Better than Pizza. Better than sex with pizza. Almost as good as bacon.

Everything else is a disappointment that I have basically gotten used to using to appease others cowardice. Barely cute at best.
 
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#34
None of them really. But overall, class Ds are great.
Comparing them is nuts, because they are totally different animals. I enjoy my Bregantino Forte as much as any amp head I’ve ever owned. It’s a much better amp than my 1966 Fender Dual Showman or Sunn was back then.
 
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#35
It's common to hear people say that the Aguilar TH500 is "tubey" sounding.
I agree to some extent being the owner of one, but it lacks the same "feel" as a tube amp. The notes don't saturate and compress quite the same when you dig in like a real tube amp. It will get you in the ball park though.

If you are after that tube sound in a smaller package, the Ampeg PF50T is a good choice. Only 50w but plenty loud for a bar gig with PA support (it has an amazing DI) through a good cabinet. Jon Button is using one with a pair of Ampeg SVT210-AV cabs with The Who at the moment.
 

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