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Solid state/class d vs tube amps

#661
agedhorse said:
Explain how the tube can possibly conduct with the amount of heater time lag presented in all power tubes?
Click to expand...

To answer your question, ran some tests on EL34's today - various manufacturers and various production dates - all are vintage tubes

Conduction commences between 10 and 20 seconds from switch-on

Most typical for my batch was 15 seconds

Generally speaking, indirectly heated tube rectifiers will track at about the same for warmup time but directly heated tube rectifiers and silicon diodes typically deliver full voltage in a few seconds, so it is a relevant design issue to ensure full bias asap after startup.

There are always exceptions - e.g. the MESA Strategy 88 User Manual describes KT88 tubes having a slower warmup time than previously available tubes. The recommended startup procedure requires the STANDBY switch to be off (isolated) for at least three minutes after cold start amplifier switch-on, before activating the STANDBY function to ON.

This procedure well and truly takes care of any delay in bias delay and is useful for any tube amp. However, as the MESA manual warns, failure to follow the prescribed procedure is risky.

Those guys sure knew what they were doing.
 
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#662
If ac still works, if dc, no, the guitarist if barefoot, or if you have mic will kmow on first strum. My guess it might hum. Test polarity by asking drummer to test. Hard on drummers, but the guitar player will be your friend for life, until the next set starts.
 
#663
So if the tubes begin emission at 15 seconds, the negative bias voltage needs to be present within say 10 seconds. How is this a problem? The bias is present in every amp I have ever seen WAY quicker than this.

The reason for longer standby times in the bigger tubes (Kt88), and many of our amps is for thermal equilibrium. It's helpful for the structure of the tube to come up to temperature more gradually, it reduces these kinds of tube failures.
 
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#665
Current Mesa D800 owner and I am looking at picking up an Ampeg V4B after getting my tax return. I've been rocking the D800 for almost 2 years now and I couldn't see myself getting rid of it. It is truly plug and play! While it doesn't have that exact "tube" tone, it does have a lot of similar dynamics and has a great, deep clean tone. I can get my grit through my darkglass b7k as I find the gain/overdrive on it to be lackluster but I long for that rich, crunchy tube tone.
 
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#666
Spent decades playing with great amp designs. I love tube amps. In fact I have some great tube designs for my eclectic home stereo system. BTW I do have my own tube testers and do some minor upgrades into my tube equipment, and have modified some of my tube ear.

I've had some badass tube amps for my bass amps in the past. Even used a Dynaco MK IV as a power amp along with a few different tube pre-amps. Great sound, but way too much for me to schlep around for gigs. If I had a road crew to do do all the heavy lifting, maybe I'd go that route.

But I don't. So I choose Class "D" solid state rigs these days. I love the tube sound but just can't deal with the weight and trouble. any longer. (After all, been doing this for over 5 decades). So my money goes for something that sounds great and that I can carry and set up for a gig, any-day.
449071-pristine_dynaco_mk_vi_mono_blocks_with_kt886550.jpg
 
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#667
AE1 said:
What happens if the mains leads are reversed by mistake and the active mains wire is connected to the chassis - and therefore the guitarist ?
Click to expand...
~
I missed this the first time I looked too, but the chassis ground is isolated from the line ground in both of these models by a 100K or 150K resistor, and a .03 uf cap, in parallel with each other.

These 2 parts also provide the signal ground for the first preamp stage, and complete its cathode DC circuit back to the power supply ground.

If the AC plug was reversed for any reason, those 2 parts would limit the current to likely be no worse than what happens in old amps using a similar cap with a dedicated ground switch, when there IS a proper transformer for the power.

And the user would experience the same shock (and hum in the audio), and hopefully do something about it.
~
 
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#668
Eddie LeBlanc said:
View attachment 2877778
Spent decades playing with great amp designs. I love tube amps. In fact I have some great tube designs for my eclectic home stereo system. BTW I do have my own tube testers and do some minor upgrades into my tube equipment, and have modified some of my tube ear.

I've had some badass tube amps for my bass amps in the past. Even used a Dynaco MK IV as a power amp along with a few different tube pre-amps. Great sound, but weigh too much for me to schlep around for gigs. If I had a road crew to do do all the heavy lifting, maybe I'd go that route.

But I don't. So I choose Class "D" solid state rigs these days. I love the tube sound but just can't deal with the weight and trouble. any longer. (After all, been doing this for over 5 decades). So my money goes for something that sounds great and that I can carry and set up for a gig, any-day.
Click to expand...
~
AHHHHHHHH, TUBE P0RN !!! drool :smug:
~
 
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#669
Good tube amps sound the best. However, I’m not going to carry an SVT around. I’m going to get a small Class D (probably a D800) even tho the SVT is really what I find ideal tone wise. Also, if you’re going direct out of the amp into FOH, then. A tube power amp doesn’t matter.
 
#670
Eddie LeBlanc said:
Spent decades playing with great amp designs. I love tube amps. In fact I have some great tube designs for my eclectic home stereo system. BTW I do have my own tube testers and do some minor upgrades into my tube equipment, and have modified some of my tube ear.

I've had some badass tube amps for my bass amps in the past. Even used a Dynaco MK IV as a power amp along with a few different tube pre-amps. Great sound, but way too much for me to schlep around for gigs. If I had a road crew to do do all the heavy lifting, maybe I'd go that route.

But I don't. So I choose Class "D" solid state rigs these days. I love the tube sound but just can't deal with the weight and trouble. any longer. (After all, been doing this for over 5 decades). So my money goes for something that sounds great and that I can carry and set up for a gig, any-day.
View attachment 2877778
Click to expand...
Same here. Played through SVT's Sunn 2000S's and Hiwatt200s and all sounded great. That said, you can't pri my Markbass setup away. I used an Ashly preamp into a Dynaco 100 Watt power amp years ago. GREAT sounding setup. In fact, I read early Sunns were built this way, Sunn designed preamp and Dynaco for power. Great pic by the way.
 
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#671
Drgonzonm said:
Not so loud, Watson might be listening. :cautious:
Click to expand...

Watson is overkill for that, even if you were ingesting and analyzing streams in real time.

I had a professor in 1999 that was using the spare super computer capacity at national labs as the biggest bugging system anyone had ever seen at the time.
I had installed Red Hat cluster on a bunch of unusued Z-series mainframes for some airlines, basically it's an early iteration of what people know as cloud.

That has been made irrelevant with the current gen iphone and pixel 2.

Either way IBM's capabilities have always been undermined by it's inefficiencies (people).
I wonder how they will bleed away their excess, GE has the same problem in their cloud division.

Maersk, IBM to launch blockchain-based platform for global trade
 
#676
Chucky Stiletti said:
I work for GE Digital. The Predix platform is frighteningly powerful. The amount of data it collects from jet engines (for example) and sends to the cloud in real time is mind boggling... The prediction algorithms based on historian data are beyond human comprehension...
Click to expand...
Is this for the peaking plant genny application or for aviation/avionics? I'm somewhat familiar with the industrial side of GE, especially the power plant areas where they are still VERY strong, both alone as well as in partnership.
 
#677
Chucky Stiletti said:
Same here. Played through SVT's Sunn 2000S's and Hiwatt200s and all sounded great. That said, you can't pri my Markbass setup away. I used an Ashly preamp into a Dynaco 100 Watt power amp years ago. GREAT sounding setup. In fact, I read early Sunns were built this way, Sunn designed preamp and Dynaco for power. Great pic by the way.
Click to expand...
Yep.... I'm gigging with a Genzler MG 800. Great amp, and She's 6.25 lbs.
174.JPG

And three 12s from Schroeder (one single 12 Neo cab, and a dual 12 Neo cab)... 800 watts with the Class "D" Genzler. A rig I can carry and set up and not get a hernia. But still has a smokin sound.
 
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