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how close in sound can a tube and ss amp sound ?

i have observed threads requesting advice regarding tube sounding solid state amps, within a price point.

i wonder how to confirm such a request.

in addition to recommendations, what about comparing a particular ss amp to a particular tube amp using an experimental design where bias, or preconception has been eliminated ?

has anyone tested the hypothesis that he/she cannot detect the difference between a tube and a ss amp, within the same power range, price point and minimizing interaction problems, such as impedeance mismatches ?

on the other hand if someone is seeking a tube-like sound out of a solid state amp, i would assume that one would use a "classic" sounding tube amp, e.g., cj mv 45, cj 75, cj 100, or cj mv125 as the tube amp and try to find a ss amp that is indistinguishable from the sound of the classic tube amp.

i have found that many ss amps differ with respect to bass and treble response from many tube amps.

in my own case, i would love to find a 120 watt ss amp which sounds like my vtl tube amp. unfortunately, i am not optimistic.

in other threads, some people have stated that it is impossible to find a ss amp that is "tube-like", in the classic sense.
mrtennis
tvad
9,467 posts
 
the question is impossible to answer.

all ss amps do not sound alike.

all tube amps do not sound alike.

therefore, if one were to identify a particular tube amp that sounded like a particular ss amp, the answer would apply only to these two unique products.

the general question as posed would remain unanswered since there is no consistency among all ss amps and among all tube amps.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
7,068 posts
 
So far the closest I have heard a transistor amp to sound like a tube amp is one that sounded so neutral that it would be best to say it sounded like music the way a good tube amp sounds like music, without much in the way of artifact.

That amp is the Ridley Audio amplifier.
mapman's avatar
mapman
15,679 posts
 
Just picked up a pair of TAD 125 Hibachi amps for my second system and am giving these a whirl. These seem to fit the bill as an attempt to emulate tube sound with a SS amp.

Too early to draw firm conclusions but I will say so far that these do have some similarities to "tube amp sound" that I have heard, probably more so than typical SS amps, and am thinking the comparison is a fair one.

We'll see....
tubegroover
2,279 posts
 
It is a moot point if neither can be perceived as the "absolute sound", in other words live music. Isn't that the objective? No, not to everyone I'm sure.

mapman's avatar
mapman
15,679 posts
 
TG,

I see your point in that neither technology has a lock on all aspects of the "absolute" sound of live music.

But both technologies do tend to have some unique strengths and weaknesses in general that tend to distinguish them so I think it is a fair question how close can they sound.

The best answer I can come up with is they can sound "very close", in fact probably so close that most would not be able to tell the difference reliably in practice.

Then of course, they are also quite capable of sounding quite distinct in ways that can often be clearly correlated to the technology used.

The gear I tend to like seems to have some common good attributes of both. Some of it is tube based and some not. I care more about the results than how they are achieved, but I also tend to be tube shy in that the extra work and expense required over time to keep things properly tuned and working does not appeal to me although I think tubes are way cool in general and I love to watch them glow.
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