Tube amps and speaker ohms

David, tubes do sound magic, but not to be a party pooper, you are probably enjoying some of the harmonic colorations. Many folks do find this pleasant to the ear and since you paid for it, there is no reason for you not to enjoy it.

Better suited speakers will give you a much more accurate and natural sound, with less of the colorations. You may at first not enjoy it quite as much, and it may actually sound more like a transistor amp.

A good tube amp setup sound remarkably the same as a good transistor setup. I personally prefer tubes, as to my ear, they achieve the most accurate and natural reproduction of the recorded material. That you will only experience once you get components that work well together.

I think many will agree with me that the process of acquiring the correct components can take many years but is very enjoyable every step of the way.

Enjoy.

Regards
Paul

Dear Paul: +++++ " prefer tubes, as to my ear, they achieve the most accurate.....of the recorded material. " +++++

Please could you explain how the tube technology can be " accurate " to the recording?

Normally the tube is a self harmonic generator ( that does not exist on the original signal/recorded signal ) and normally too due to its high output impedance a tube amplifier is everything you want/like but accurate handling the electrical speaker impedance curve.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

+++ Please could you explain how the tube technology can be " accurate " to the recording +++

Sure Raul. Perception of music and the accuracy thereof is 100% subjective. To my ear no amplification device on the planet can come as close to a real piano recital as a SET amplifier.

+++ Normally the tube is a self harmonic generator +++

That is not true. Always the tube and the transistor are self harmonic generators. Transistor generally being much worse, up 70% THD. Amplifiers by design compensate to correct these flaws. My ear prefer vacuum tube solution – for now.

Yes, tube amplifier require much more careful speaker matching as they have much higher output impedance than a transistor amplifier. People who do not understand this better stick with transistor amplification.

Regards
Paul

Normally the tube is a self harmonic generator ( that does not exist on the original signal/recorded signal )

Raul, I would have thought you would have educated yourself better before making such an obviously false statement! You are in a lot more trouble with transistors in this area then you ever would be with tubes! Look how many tube amps can actually operate with low distortion with zero feedback, and then count how many transistor amps that do the same thing. The zero feedback transistor amps are *sorely* outnumbered!

If we run feedback on our amps, which are OTL, we can get the THD down to 0.001% at full power, but who'd want to (just like frying an egg on the sidewalk)? It is true that you reduce a lot of distortion that the ear does not care about, but you increase the distortion that the ear *DOES* care about!

Ultimately it is the rules of human hearing that are the most important factors in audio...

The zero feedback transistor amps are *sorely* outnumbered!

How do you stabilise a transistor amp circuit without any feedback at all, anywhere?