Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Hybrid Tube Amplifiers, anyone use these?

Come on now Richy, that is the point of the post. Neither will ever happen.

I know Rick, the temps are dipping way down into the upper 50s today and I'm about froze solid, the old brain ain't engaging like it should.

What was this thread about again?

Yes, John, an amplifier should neither add nor subtract anything from the audio signal ... but there is no amplifier which meets your idealized criterion. Your belief that all 'well designed' amps meet this idealized standard is ... interesting. Your idealization dissolves all real world differences between amps.

I have many amps ... they range from $25 digital 5 wpc T-Amp (with some mods) to a multi thousand dollar multi-channel Anthem, with a gaggle of Yamaya M-80s, Onkyo Integra M-504s, a pristine Kenwood KA9100, and an Antique Sound Labs SET 5 wpc tube amp numbered in my amp armory. The differences are subtle but as you live with them you get to know them. Some handle low impedence speaker loads well, some don't. Some provide slam, some low level detail, some both. Some just sound sweeter, not inaccurate or plummy, just sweeter ... you can't describe this to someone who will not hear.

For me, I agree with the fella above who prefers his tube system for 2 channel music listening. So do I. My multi channel systems range from a 5 channel Anthem amp driven 5.1 to a 7.1 system driven by 3 Yamah M80s and an Integra M504. I have to say I also really like my $25 2 channel system, and my Kenwood KA9100 2 channel system.

So, for reference:

[2 channel stereo] ASL MG S1 15DT, Ah! NT4000(mod), Michaura M66s, Velodyne CHT10.

[2 channel stereo] Kenwood KA9100, Sony CA9ES CDP, Dahlquist DQM905s, Modifieid Kenwood SW300 amp

[2 channel stereo] T-Amp (modified) Michaura M55s (sometimes Axiom M3tis) Vance Dickason Titanic 10" sub, Pioneer

Anthem PVA5 amp, Sony TAE9000ES processor, Sony DVP S7000, 2xMichaura M665s, Mission DS77ES surrounds, modified Merak MC634 center with supertweeter, Dahlquist PDQ1500 (modified) subwoofer;

Integra DTC 9.4 processor, 3xYamaha M80 amps, Integra M504 amp, Thiel CS3.6's, Axiom QS8s, Merak MC634C modified with supertweeter, SVS 20-39

a pair of Axiom M2e's and M3Tis for swapping around in 2 channel systems.

I've swapped amps and speakers in my 2 channel systems, and can say that after living with these systems for a while, different amps have different sound qualities ... just is.

should be "SW300 sub" not "amp."

Didn't we go through this with amps about a year ago??????

Oh no, not again!!!!!!!!

Yes. Everytime anyone posts a question about which amp is better or regarding the difference in sound quality between amps, John posts his authoritative opinion that there is no difference in sound quality between amps.

Every once in a while I post a contrary opinion just so folks don't think that all the audio fans on this site march to the beat of a single drum.

I have wanted to comment on the 'TUBE AMP' issue for a long while.

I have not owned any tube audio amps.
I don't know if those who say: "tube audio amps do not sound as good as solid state" (or other such criticisms) are correct, speaking from personal experience...or like too many others, just read a blurb on the web about the subject somewhere.

What I DO know is:

Guitar,and musical instrument TUBE amps DO sound better, than their solid state counterparts. (generally speaking)

My vintage Fender tube amps...(past & present) have ALWAYS sounded best....warm, mellow, etc.
I have (and have had) solid state guitar amps....Crate, and Marshall.
The soild state amps have some cool "bells and whistles" on them, but a Stratocaster has ALWAYS sounded best with tubes.

I'm avoiding the inevitable confrontation and simply saying that having a "gaggle" of amp sounds really cool....

The main difference with this particular post wasn’t to discuss the virtues of Tube vrs Solid state or which one sounded better…….

But to ask about these HYBRID tube amps and if anyone has actually used them and what they thought about them. Anyone who would take the time to read the links, would see that there is a distinct difference. But for those who would prefer to not read up on them and would rather debate tube vrs solid state, these are a combination of the two. I was not aware an animal like this was in existence, but now that I am, I’m curious.

Well, sometimes these threads actually wander a bit off the reservation. I've never heard a hybrid (as far as I know)