XPost: alt.music-lover.audiophile, alt.music-lover.audiophile.hardware   
   From: no_one@no_where.com   
      
   "Sanders"  wrote in message   
   news:5MednaQ4RKzMHzDdRVn-jA@centurytel.net...   
   > I noticed that some one else is old enough to remember tube amps.  There   
   > is something about their sound that is smoother than solid states, but I   
   > don't know the technical reason.  Maybe it is the time delay for   
   > electrons going between grids and plates that cause this vs solid state   
   > having no time delay for the electrons in solid state equipment. We   
   > always used the term a warmer sound at the store.   
   >   
   > There is a reason tube amps are in demand for musicians.  There is a   
   > difference in the tonal texture.   
   >   
   > Then again most people don't know about the digital noise that d/a   
   > converters have compared to a pure analog signal. Carver even put tubes   
   > in some of their cd players to help smooth out this noise.   
   >   
   > Taking a steak (analog curve) and coverting it into hamburger (digital   
   > signal)and then asking a da to convert the hamburer back into steak   
   > doesn't work well. The analog curve recreated after the DA is just a   
   > bunch of steps trying to recreate a smooth line on the curve, though   
   > they might be very tiny steps.  The signal reproduced is not the same as   
   > what was originaly created.  There is a reason vinyl has always been the   
   > high end audios favorite medium   
   >   
      
   Well, you've made an interesting analogy, but it's not really all that   
   truthful is it?  Vinyl is "warmer" for a lot of reasons, the fact that it is   
   a purely analog signal is just one.  Firstly, most CDs manufactured these   
   days have their levels compressed to make the overall recording louder.   
   Vinyl is much better in this respect.  There is also a lack of extreme high   
   and low frequencies.  Some argue that the "meat" of the sound is in the   
   midrange.   
      
   > The biggest drawback to tube amps is that you just do not get much power   
   > for the buck.  40W is considered a bunch in tube amps.  Much more than   
   > that and the heat problem is counter productive.   
   >   
   > As I remember, first their were discrete solid state and the the IC   
   > revoloution started and though the new amps had more power, they sounded   
   >   like crap and had no tonal texture and there was a lot of crosstalk at   
   > high volumes.   
   >   
   > Any thoughts on using a tube preamp and feeding it into a solid state   
   > power amp.  I was thinking this would be the best of both worlds.   
      
   Aparently this really is the way to go.  As I understand it, the tubes   
   impart their characteristic warmth due to their handling of the various   
   harmonics.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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