|
Amp/Preamp Asylum Looking for a new Amp or Preamp? If you're after tubes, post over here. |
|
|
|
Amp/Preamp Asylum Looking for a new Amp or Preamp? If you're after tubes, post over here. |
|
In Reply to: Why Choose Solid State? posted by Jim Austin on November 6, 2013 at 12:30:44:
I grew up with solid state and never had much reason to seriously look at tubes. The conventional wisdom was tubes were in decline and they didn't perform as well as modern solid state offerings. Which seemed to make sense because almost all other forms of consumer vacume tube electronics was becoming extinct. When's the last time you saw a 25" vacume tube color TV?
It wasn't till much later that I was exposed to people waxing poetic with vacume tube audio. This seemed silly at first until I read about why it was not only valid but may have a thing or two that solid state had not quite matched yet. I needed to know that before I started to look at vacume tube audio in a different light.
That said I mostly only saw disadvantages with tubes. Reliability tended to be an issue. With the heat and voltage (electrical pressure) they operated at I noted a fairly high failure rate. Carbon composition resistors and insulation would breakdown with extended use. I also assumed that tubes had mostly ceased to be made. Cost was another thing. Until learned otherwise the cost per Watt didn't seem attractive. And I had never had an experience with tubes that caused me to reconsider. What experience I have had seems to tell me that each does certain things better than the other.
I'm not wedded to either technology really. If I was rebuilding around a set of electrostats I would take a long look at tubes for that purpose. Or higher efficiency speakers perhaps. What I most look forward to is DIY audio because it just seems like the most fun of all the ways I can go. Tubes will be a part of that.
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Follow Ups
- RE: Why Choose Solid State? - Emsquare 11/6/1316:19:15 11/6/13 (0)
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
