Unique qualities of a purely tube sound

Was that picture placed there with a particular intention in mind

 

Yes, I like to look at it.

 

I thought it had to do with the disapproving wife look she is giving to the speakers.

 

True, but there are so many other differences too, often choke input power supplies and film capacitors for the power supply instead of electrolytics, high voltage dramatically increases the capacitor charge since it is based on the square of the voltage, output transformers and often just a small amount of feedback to keep the output impedance in check, etc. I have built solid state amps with some of these design attributes and it does narrow the gap, so I agree.

 

So do I great system Otlset!

 

Hmmm, and all this time I thought she was looking at me approvingly as I changed records. I've heard Vermeer was into horns though.

 

From the listening seat.

 

I would agree with this wholeheartedly I've heard tube amps that didn't sound very tubelike at all and finally found my dream amp of the last 15 years. It's pushpull but it's Class A, triode wired, choke filtered, and uses vintage Accrosound output transformers. That to me was and is the tube sound I was looking for and I find it as I described earlier with an additional quality dimensionality that I left out.

 

BTW I am looking at your system approvingly so to hell with Vermeer's chick.

 

Ah, The Girl With the Pearl Earring.

 

They look lovely from both sides,.

 

Well I was trying to keep it simple and not too much on the technical side.
But I agree with what your observations are here.
Telefunkin tubes=tight clean sound
Mullard tubes=loose bass with a full fat midrange (that English sound like Vox amps)
Amprex=happy Goldilocks right in the middle
So for an example in synergy you take a tube amp with pre,pre driver for instance like a 12AU7 and make that a Telefunkin. Then the other 2 pre's say are 12AX7's make them Amprex Bugle Boys and now you have something wonderful feeding the driver tubes like KT120's(which will carry forward whatever flavor they are fed) The bass is still not tight tho so best of both worlds, take the tube amp for the highs and mids and a EQ powered sub for the bass at say 80 Hz. Married to some efficient speakers and it's LOVE!
Twinkling highs
Liquid mids
Tight authorities bass
Gorgeous decays
It just feels good to your brain, but is it good for all types of music like most SS systems?
No.
I did this with a Carver 275 tube amp and a set of Hersey II's with a Mirage powered and EQ'd sub. I loved it but someone else loved it more so I sold it. I did just get another 275 tho.

 

This makes no sense. If you like tubes, fine. But everyone knows that tubes color the sound. By definition basically...

 

Who is this everyone you you speak of?

 

Is this somehow a surprise to you?

 

Do you not think vinyl colors the sound too?

 

Tubes add harmonic distortion. I brains decode this like we do in nature when we listen to tell distances and location of something. It's a false addition, but an addition our brains know very well because of evolution. So, maybe it emphasizes something that's already in the recording, and/or adds some sense of spatial relationships that is not in the original recording, but it does sound more real. I like tubes for power and preamp. I don't have a tube phono preamp, though.

 

girl with a pearl earring definitely approves! . I mean look at the size of that pearl, lol, she knows what's up.

 

Nice! Should sound great, provided the speakers aren't too difficult to drive.

 

Low sensitivity but benign load. I don't listen loud. If the combo doesn't work unfortunately the amp will definitely go as I am v. happy with the ATCs!

 

I think the load is the main thing, given my success powering PMC and Spendor speakers with the Sugden. But yeah, only way to know is to give it a shot.

 

There was a guy from Germany complaining here that he wasn't happy with the combination Sudgen/PMC.

 

Is it a maxim that tubes add harmonic distortion? Or just more audible harmonic distortion than SS, maybe? I always thought it was WHEN they clip, they add heavy doses of audible harmonic distortion. The classic euphonic "tube sound". Even order, low harmonics. Whereas when SS clips, we all know how unpleasant THAT is.

Do I have this wrong?

 

A more realistic 3-d sound vs. flat.

JohnK

 

A quick glance at a lab test I could find easily (McIntosh MC275 MKVI valve power amp) suggests not for a power amp stage - the odd-ordered harmonics are louder than the even-ordered.

Same for an Icon Audio integrated amp.

So seems it's a myth.