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tubes or transformer?

tubes or transformer?

  • tubes

    Votes: 14 12.7%

  • transformer

    Votes: 11 10.0%

  • both

    Votes: 47 42.7%

  • none

    Votes: 6 5.5%

  • carrots

    Votes: 32 29.1%
  • Total voters
    110
#7
I agree with him somewhat. Tubes in the preamp running into a sand-based amp have always disappointed me. IMO you don't/can't get the true tube amp sound without a tube based amplifier section. Tube rolling in the amplifier section produces a range of different tonalities: 6L6GC sounds different than EL34, for example. Then consider tube rectification and the ability to switch between fixed and cathode bias on the output tubes and even more variation becomes possible. Just swapping different preamp tubes can't do that, at least nowhere to the same extent in my experience.
 
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#8
KenD said:
I agree with him somewhat. Tubes in the preamp running into a sand-based amp have always disappointed me. IMO you don't/can't get the true tube amp sound without a tube based amplifier section. Tube rolling in the amplifier section produces a range of different tonalities: 6L6GC sounds different that EL34, for example. Then consider tube rectification and the ability to switch between fixed and cathode bias on the output tubes and even more variation becomes possible. Just swapping different preamp tubes can't do that, at least nowhere to the same extent in my experience.
Click to expand...
You might be surprised at how far solid state and hybrid technologies have evolved (IF you closed your eyes).
 
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#11
KenD said:
I agree with him somewhat. Tubes in the preamp running into a sand-based amp have always disappointed me. IMO you don't/can't get the true tube amp sound without a tube based amplifier section. Tube rolling in the amplifier section produces a range of different tonalities: 6L6GC sounds different that EL34, for example. Then consider tube rectification and the ability to switch between fixed and cathode bias on the output tubes and even more variation becomes possible. Just swapping different preamp tubes can't do that, at least nowhere to the same extent in my experience.
Click to expand...
Interesting. In my experience, of the hybrid amps, "true" tube tone seems to come more from the amps with solid state pres going into tube power sections. Old Peavey Heritage amps, Music Mans, etc.
 
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#12
definenredefine said:
Interesting. In my experience, of the hybrid amps, "true" tube tone seems to come more from the amps with solid state pres going into tube power sections. Old Peavey Heritage amps, Music Mans, etc.
Click to expand...
I have't played through a SS>tube amp so I really can't say. Although what you posted seems to bear out my point that a good deal of the "real" tube sound comes from OP tubes and tube rectification.
 
#17
Tube amps tend to be more expensive to produce than solid state amps. Because of this a lot of people have for decades compared expensive tube amps with all the bells and whistles to the inexpensive no frills solid state practice amps and concluded that it is the tubes that make the difference ignoring all of the other ways that the solid state amp they are comparing is inferior. Now when you start comparing top of the line solid state amps to similarly priced tube amps that is when you start to see that it's not just the tubes.
 
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#19
I find that people that love transformers in this way haven't done enough circuit design to understand/appreciate what happens when a transformer goes non linear at low frequencies. When that happens, you go from "there's a bit of coloration, that's nice" to "What the hell was that?" very quickly.

I have transformers in my Di's on my pedalboards. I chose them because, in that application, they're the simplest thing that does the job. My Di's sound really good because they don't saturate - the transformers have plenty of headroom, because they're overdesigned for the job. What I'm saying is the transformers in those DI's sound good because....they don't sound like transformers.

This guy just likes to listen to himself talk - he doesn't really understand what he's talking about.
 
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#20
IME when we hear something produce a sound we like, the "bit and piece parts" inside of what that sound came out of are usually less important than the quality, thoughtfulness, and innovation of the design work that caused those specific parts to be selected and assembled the way they were.

In actively participating as an engineer in close to half a century of all manner of high technology and related design evolutions, I've consistently seen more difference in design outcomes related to "engineering competence with the technology used" than I have to the specific type of technology employed. I've also observed that even a universally praised premiere technology can be poorly integrated into/employed in a design such that the final product's performance is simply awful.

Parts matter, but clever design and solid engineering matter more as a general rule IME.
 
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