Quote:

Quote:

...there's no necessary "tube sound".



What about during clipping?



This discussion been going on since the invention of the transistor. Some people make the curious and silly sounding statement that "tube watts" are more than "SS watts". What they are referring to is the soft clipping aspect of tubes that gently roll off sound rather than the hard clipping off the cliff, odd order harmonic and intermodulation distortion you hear when a SS amp clips.

Both technologies offer advantages and disadvantages when used in amplifiers or preamplifiers or hybrids. In my own still evolving view, a well designed audio component will shine regardless of whether its SS or tube based. Very generally speaking:

A solid state component will present the transient or attack far better than a tube based unit. The sense of , articulation and the way images are conveyed in space seem to favour SS. But the tube units because of their greater even order harmonics, especially second order, can have better low level detail and dynamics which can sound more natural. . When many people talk of tube sound they are likely referring to the decay, and continuious notes with more pronounced harmonics, which does make a more airy midrange. Many guitarists favour tube amps for this reason. Where tubes are generally inferior is in bass and LF reproduction which can sound loose and sloppy because of the greater decay and distortion compared to SS. As for HF reproduction, I have found them a mixed bag with siblance being more a problem with SS than tube designs but tube designs having more a tendency to roll off highs than SS.

Like alot of audio concepts we are talking shades of grey here and not absolutes, which is why I take pains to point out that these are generalizations at best and my own evolving observations. I have heard SS components that do sound "tube" like and vice versa. At the moment I'm trying to get the best of both technologies by running a tube Mcintosh 220 preamp into bridged SS Bryston 4bsst amps, so far with very pleasing results.

John