high power tube amps vs ss

05-24-13: Mapman
... I believe Lincoln Walsh used his engineering experience with radar systems in WW2 to get dynamic speakers right while the rest of the world missed the boat. Pretty radical.

Interestingly, as far as I am aware he was also the only manufacturer of consumer-oriented audio power amplifiers utilizing the 300B directly heated triode power tube, between the earliest days of hifi and the resurgence of interest in that tube that occurred in the last three decades or so.

Also, some of his amplifiers used 2A3 DHT power tubes, and similar comments apply to them, with the slight qualification that his use of 2A3s was preceded by their use in the power amplifier sections of certain high end radios of the 1930s.

Those Brook Electronics Company amplifiers are highly collectable these days, and go for big $$$ on the rare occasions when they appear for sale.

Best,
-- Al

So, individual technical peeves and preferences aside, in the end here are things I think really matter regarding choice of amp and speakers to match.

1) If limited frequency range down to only 50-60 hz or so is your game, the world is your oyster. Many many good combos of both SS or tube amps and speakers to do that.

2) If full range frequency response flat to down below 40 hz or so is your target, now you have some important choices to make, especially for a larger room in that in the end, however you achieve it large volumes of air must be highly pressurized at low frequencies to achieve the goal. Choices are:

1) modest or low power tube amp + higher efficiency larger speakers. The lower power the amp the larger the speakers will need to be. Soft clipping of transients at high volumes is still clipping so you have to avoid that!

2) Higher power SS or tube amp with smaller speakers. Lower efficiency speakers will also still require more power. Class D amps may be the emerging technical solution that best addresses this. Otherwise those high power amps needed will be large , heavy, expensive to buy, and expensive to run as well.

Of course, for full range scenario, nothing wrong with using a low power SS amp in place of a tube amp. Or a larger tube amp with smaller speakers, although this is where the size and power required of the tube amp will result in limited good choices. Again, soft clipping is still clipping, so none of that allowed! :^)

I suppose another scenario would be like Petepapp describes, and you want to preserve your hearing. Soft clipping may be a good thing there, so a smaller tube amp might fit the bill for a full range solution with smaller speakers.

Very good point. Is it odd ordered harmonic distortion that causes damage within the average spl range we listen at? Will I preserve my hearing ability switching to tubes?