Sean, the big advantage of solid state amps is that they tend to have very low output impedances compared to their tube brethren. The solid state amp therefore has an easier time sinking the back emf from a woofer allowing the bass to decay naturally instead of sustaining slightly longer. Because of the slight sustain some claim the bass to be boomy. The measure of the ability of the amplifier to sink the back emf is damping factor.
Tight Bass
I'm tired of hearing this term as it does not exist outside of the audiophiles world. Where does this term come from? Bass is not tight. It is loose, warm, enveloping, harmonically rich. What I hear from solid state amps and ported speakers is an extended low frequency without the definition and body that tubes and a good sealed box or transmission line speaker serves up. I equate tight bass with consticted bass and perhaps that is a question of semantics as I feel the bass should be full and round but not out of control, perhaps if those that use the term "tight bass" are actually trying to describe what I would term a "rich/ripe bass". I would like to hear some discussion on "tight bass", "rich/ripe bass" same or different terminology.
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- 17 posts total
- 17 posts total