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General Asylum General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories. |
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General Asylum General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories. |
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In Reply to: I just know I'm going to regret this post... but... uhm... help? posted by B. P. Firlotte on January 13, 2000 at 07:15:29:
Tubes sound a lot more natural, but there is a "tubey" quality. Personally I like it very much. After listening to tubes for a while, solid state gear sounds wiry and sterile. Tubes can play loud and rude, but it's a richer kind of rude, and they need a more efficient speaker. Remember that Jimi Hendrix, the Who and Led Zeppelin all made a lot of rude noises through Marshall 25 watt tube amps. Admittedly, they used stacks of them. I own a Conrad-Johnson MV-50 which is a very sweet sounding and spatial amp. I also like the bass, which has been criticized by reviewers. Tube bass tends to bow out around 30 hz or so, but it sounds more tuneful and springy to me. Kick-drum sounds really nice through a CJ MV-50. Organ? Well, at the very bottom I assume I am missing some output. Tube amps are best used in pairs, I am told, positioned only a few inches behind the speakers, to keep the damping factor up. But I play mine as a single stereo amp. If you want raw muscle for a super-dramatic sound, and you have the speakers to render it, tubes are not likely to deliver sufficient power without super-efficient horn speakers, which most people don't have. But if you listen to all the music, and not just the climaxes, booms and crashes, tubes will provide more satisfaction. It is like comparing a vintage wine to a cola drink. The pitfalls with tubes are:
1) boutique firms selling crappy products backed by incompetent reviewers. Stick with CJ, Audio Research, Manley, and similarly esteemed brands. Or, if you don't mind night classes in electronics, take your chances by buying great gear from the golden age of tubes when the great tube designers walked the earth: Dynaco, Fisher, Scott, Pilot, Eico, and of course Marantz and McIntosh. The Fisher integrated of my boyhood sounded even sweeter than the cJ but it died in a warehouse fire. If you must buy no-name, I suggest going through Angela Instruments of Savage, MD. The guy who runs the place is a real guru and knows tubes from A to Z. They have a web page.
2) bulk and heat: not a major problem unless you get too fancy or have a bad back and like to frequently rearrange your layout.
3) tube replacements. The importance of tubes is over-rated. A good amp design will be largely indifferent to the brand, as long as it is of good basic quality. If you don't believe me, ask a designer.
4) addiction to tube sound. (go for it!)
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Follow Ups
- Re: I just know I'm going to regret this post... but... uhm... help? - phenderson 01/13/0018:28:26 01/13/00 (0)
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