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differences between tube and solid state designs

this topic may have been beaten to death.

however, my experience attending ces shows has demonstrated to my eras that the differences between push pull tube and solid state amplifiers sound very similar.

i notice today's tube amps, e.g., contad johnson, audio research, wolcott audio, etc., do not exhibit many of the classic colorations associated with tube designs and sound a lot like solid state, especially with respect to frequency response, i.e., spectral balance.

there may be still be slight audible differences between the 2 formats.

has anyone perceived a narrowing of sonic differences between the two designs and if so if differences are slight, why buy a tube amp.

note, i have deliberately excluded class a and single ended amps, at low wattage, from this discussion. some of them have more of a vintage or classic tube sound, especially relative to bass and treble response.
mrtennis

Showing 3 responses by tvad

tvad
9,467 posts
 
05-14-06: Bartokfan
"slight differences"...not sure which amps you are listening to. Take any Cayin tube, put it in a room with any ss amp, even 3X's the Cayin price. Then come back and post a comment.
The results of that comparison will no doubt depend on the music being auditioned and the associated gear. And, if someone were to post a comment that was less than favorable about the Cayin, would you willingly.accept the opinion as another valid viewpoint?

My observation by reading these threads is that few proponents of specific gear are ever open to opposing opinion, and it keeps people from reporting anything that might ruffle feathers. You may not fall into this category.
tvad
9,467 posts
 
I've always found SS amps to sound flat.

Newbee (System | Threads | Answers)
You beat me to it.

:)
tvad
9,467 posts
 
I think the solid state detractors are painting with a brush that's a little too wide. Just my opinion.
Audiofeil (Threads | Answers)
That's a fair statement. I'm always open to discovering SS amps that do not sound two dimensional or sterile.

Thus far, I have tried: McCormack DNA-2 Platinum Revision A+, Bryston 4B SST, 14B SST, Odyssey Audio Stratos Extreme, CI Audio D100 and D200, NuForce Ref 8 (I know, not SS but still 2 dimensional and sterile, IMO).

I haven't auditioned any of the large cased SS amps, i.e. Pass Labs because I don't have the space.
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