tube amp question

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Any changes that a tube amp (or any piece of equipment) makes to the original signal is distortion.....be it warmth, "buttery rolloff", etc etc. If it wasn't part of the original signal, then it's distortion. Now, whether or not someone interprets this distortion as pleasant and/or something they enjoy, so be it

I wasn't debating that //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif I know full well that a SET or even ultra-linear P-P's operate somewhere near 5% THD...although even/lower order harmonic distortion is more pleasant to the ear than higher order odd harmonics.

 

[paikiah 5,000+ posts]

Somehow I feel that there is and probably will never be an amp that can reproduce exactly. Surely, within all those parts I'm sure SOMETHING'S gotta give somewhere.

Oh, and I've not had much comparison, but I'm sure as most say, speakers themselves have more distortion and whatnot than amps.

It's just so hard to really make an EXACT comparison, watt for watt. At least at home I feel it's hard.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

speakers themselves have more distortion and whatnot than amps.

Yeah, no matter how good the amplification gets, the transducer is always going to be the weakest link...

I listen to a lot of classic rock (ok, maybe a lot is an understatement, i mean, look at my avatar) and those guys weren't always concerned about THD when pushing their (tube, might I add //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif) Fenders, Gibsons and Marshalls into harmonic neverland...

Both SS and tubes have their benefits; which is why I own both, heh.

 

[desertheat 10+ year member]

I might want to add that the nice "what you call distortion" from a tube amp helps recreate what allot of people eq in or try to build speakers to mimic because there solid state amps are to harsh sounding and flat, I myself am a tube guy, will never go back //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif If you had everything set to flat, speakers that played 20-20K flat and an amp that also played 20-20K flat, it would sound like @ss. Changes from digital to what comes out the drivers are key to pleasing the ears...

 

[ss3079 5,000+ posts]

pushing their (tube, might I add //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif) Fenders, Gibsons and Marshalls

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/greedy.gif.5a53e6246569d7ab79867170f3b06629.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/greedy.gif.5a53e6246569d7ab79867170f3b06629.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/greedy.gif.5a53e6246569d7ab79867170f3b06629.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/greedy.gif.5a53e6246569d7ab79867170f3b06629.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/greedy.gif.5a53e6246569d7ab79867170f3b06629.gif

 

[paikiah 5,000+ posts]

let's stop calling it distortion or coloration and go back to "warmth". hehe

Jack, what's your opinion about tube "jackets"? Think they do anything to help?

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Not exactly sure what you mean by "jackets"...do you mean those little adapters to convert larger pentodes (6L6's, EL34's, 6V6's) to smaller pentodes like EL84's or 6BQ5's?

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

let's stop calling it distortion or coloration and go back to "warmth". hehe

Why? If it adds something that wasn't part of the original signal, it's still distortion //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif You may like it, that I won't debate......

and those guys weren't always concerned about THD when pushing their (tube, might I add ) Fenders, Gibsons and Marshalls into harmonic neverland...

As audiolife was saying.....that's the difference between production of music and reproduction of music.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Why? If it adds something that wasn't part of the original signal, it's still distortion

and a lot of people, I bet, wouldn't like to listen to a system that measures perfectly flat on an RTA //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

and a lot of people, I bet, wouldn't like to listen to a system that measures perfectly flat on an RTA //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

Show me a song that was recorded perfectly flat.........I never said anything about it having to be a "flat" response......simply that if something wasn't part of the original signal, it's still distortion //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

and a lot of people, I bet, wouldn't like to listen to a system that measures perfectly flat on an RTA //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

show me a system and a recording that is perfectly flat on anything or everything. its not the amps job to make it flat to begin with. if you want flat you eq it to that not "amp it" besides that by saying this you are totally neglecting the speakers and the environment in which they work in and play........ and on the recording side you are saying all recordings are flat?

 

[ss3079 5,000+ posts]

So ... you guys prefer the sound of Yugoslavian, Russian, Slovakian, or Chinese tubes?

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Depends on the tube.

Old-stock Yugoslavian pentodes probably sound the best out of the ones you listed...but some of the newer Russian EL34's coming out of Svetlana's St. Petersburg plant sound pretty good as well. New production from JJ/Tesla (Yugoslavian) are nice.

My personal favorite? British (Mullard) or American (RCA) for rectifiers, Philips for signal/preamp tubes. One of these days I'll get a Mullard 6DJ8 to try out...

Chinese tubes are generally junk...with very few exceptions.

 

[paikiah 5,000+ posts]

jackets..like insulators, they sell them here, but I dunno the function or benefit(s) of the insulating jacket.

I dunno what difference the tubesthemselves will have, but I do prefer the sounds of my DA50 (with the KT88 tubes) than the older simply four (with the EL34, i THINK that's the tube). Then again, their power output is different, so that might be a larger conribution.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

I dunno what difference the tubesthemselves will have, but I do prefer the sounds of my DA50 (with the KT88 tubes) than the older simply four (with the EL34, i THINK that's the tube).

The tubes themselves play a pretty big role...cheaper tubes will go "microphonic" (pick up noise and vibration from outside sources) quicker or simply just not sound as good or be as reliable.

Preamp/signal tubes will make a bigger difference in the sound than power tubes.

I've never seen the insulating jackets you mentioned, so maybe they're not as common here in the States as they are over there.