If I was looking for 600w@4ohms 465w wouldn't cut it.
Tube vs SS, is what it is. I just like high wattage, 700w+ for me .
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Power Amp Recommendations
- Thread starter Stranger Danger
- Start date
Tube vs SS, is what it is. I just like high wattage, 700w+ for me .
If I was looking for 600w@4ohms 465w wouldn't cut it.
Tube vs SS, is what it is. I just like high wattage, 700w+ for me .
sure if it's about numbers, then mosfets will always win... if it's about clean sound and dB with volume.. then you've got a race. I've got 465 usable clean watts and almost 600 burst... most SS amps (even those rated at 1000w) will not achieve much more than 600 before you get wave distortion. But anyway.. the OP has what he needs in Jim Carrs response.
Most all tube amp are rated at <5% distortion, most SS <1% distortion. If you like the tube's sound great, but don't exaggerate. Misinformation is never a good thing.
"Nevertheless, valve designs produce predominantly low order harmonic overdrive (which is musically related), while solid state designs generally produce a full range of harmonic distortion, including the objectionable high order harmonics"
GM Arts - Guitar Amplifiers
If that is offered as "proof", all I have to say is "If it is on the internet, it must be tru." [Intentional mis-spell] If want to put your faith in a guitar site with no proper engineering reference, more power to you. You also know bass is just a broken geetar right? 
If that is offered as "proof", all I have to say is "If it is on the internet, it must be tru." [Intentional mis-spell] If want to put your faith in a guitar site with no proper engineering reference, more power to you. You also know bass is just a broken geetar right?
That guys is actually one of the foremost audio engineers in Australia, and even though he doesn't update his site any longer, it is all good and accurate info. Mind you, you can also google "Valve" or "Tube" amp vs Solid State and get dozens of similar discussions about the way both amps work towards their upper limit of power.. It's not opinion, but rather fact that valve amps will work up to their RMS power without musical distortion while SS amps will not.
i understand it to be the exact opposite, that the tube amp will begin to exhibit distortion that is indeed "musical" (and thus still sounds good) as it approaches the rated limit, while the ss amp stays clean 'til it hits the wall, at which point it starts to clip ugly.
anyway, asking about 2 rack spaces and 600w/side means that we're not talking about tube amps anymore, that ship has sailed.
i really like the older QSC PLX amps; USA-made, not very heavy, famously bulletproof, will get plenty loud when driven by less than super-hot preamps, and the selectable 30Hz filter is perfect for saving speakers while still bringing the low end.
i'm using a PLX 3002, one side for 900w/4Ω, and it crushes.
that wall is well below the wattage rating usually on SS, and well above on Tube.. the overdriven tone on a tube can occur at a low wattage however if the pre-amp is over driven.. that's a totally unrelated issue.
I was in college studying when tubes were "current" technology. I know better than to listen to any "self-proclaimed guru". walterw is much closer to the real world.
walterw is much closer to the real world.
The first rule to win a debate is to know the person you are debating's background and the topic. In this case you are up against a TUBE AMP repair tech.
And I'm also a licensed Amateur Extra (K6UA) with a BSEE and have built more than one power amplifiers for amateur radio in my years...
furthermore, the internet is filled with proof, Wikipedia is a good place to start.
Tube sound - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
who ain't me!
every oscilloscope rendering i've ever watched of a power amp being driven up to and beyond clip with a sine wave shows the tube amp's wave starting to gradually round off before it hits the supposed limit, at which point it keeps gradually rounding over until it creates that distinctive complex, pointy wave full of all those still-musical harmonics.
the typical ss amp keeps a perfect sine wave right up until it hits its max, at which point that wave gets chopped off hard and flat on top, and the more you drive it past that point the closer it gets to a straight-up nasty-sounding square wave.
you are 100% correct.. the only issue is defining what is "max" for said amp. I assure you that a 900W SS amp is not going to run at 900W for very long (for thermo dynamic reasons). whereas a 465W tube amp can run at 465 for days.. Then lets not forget about the crossover distortion issue.
Wikipedia really? Are you serious? How many class A , B, A/B, D, G or H have you designed and built. I am not talking class C RF.
Crossover distortion is a product of class B operation or improperly aligned class A/B. SS or Tube.
Wikipedia is a very useful depository of information, much of which is referenced (this is the key, just check the references), but google is also your friend.
I've designed none, built and modified a few. But what about building a liner amplifier disqualifies me from discussing power Mosfets and tube amps? Moreover, google is your friend, try it and find me a counter point suggesting solid state is cleaner at it's top end than tube.
I've designed none, built and modified a few. But what about building a liner amplifier disqualifies me from discussing power Mosfets and tube amps? Moreover, google is your friend, try it and find me a counter point suggesting solid state is cleaner at it's top end than tube.
You are not talking "top end" you were talking at it's rated power output. Decide what discussion you want and site your own .ed or at least .org.
If you do not already know the differences in operating class, the scope of this user board is not the place to learn?
If you do not already know the differences in operating class, the scope of this user board is not the place to learn?
That's just it, tube will have more overhead, effectively. Or are you saying a 900w rated SS will run at max rated power as easily as the tube amp?
here, maybe IEEE is a source you won't question...
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