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In Reply to: RE: The very "best" tube amps - or, the ones I'd most like to own... posted by morricab on October 22, 2014 at 03:27:49
First of all, I can see that it might be helpful to clarify what we mean when we say "Solid State sound" or "tube sound". I'd say that SS gear sounds tends to sound more dynamic and powerful, but less colorful than tube gear. The sound that we ascribe to each probably has something to do with the mixture or ratio of different types of distortion components that each presents.SS gear transmits, or allows for, a mixture of linearities and distortions in playback. Tube gear does likewise, but in a slightly different way.
As I've said, I have some limited listening experience that would seem to confirm the idea of the "convergence" of these two slightly different presentations. I'm also somewhat trustful of others who have said the same thing. I'm sure you're aware that some people have said they can hear little or no difference at all between different amplifiers, and while I would not go as far as to say that I cannot hear any difference at all between a decent tube amp and a decent SS one I might assume, as other have assumed, that as certain types of distortion components in tube or SS amps are minimized the aforementioned "convergence" begins to materialize.
MY own DNA Sonett is a Class A SET tube zero feedback headphone amp and it's an excellent case in point, for me at least. The Sonett is as quiet and as "neutral" (I know, I know - "neutral" is a subjective term...) sounding as any SS amp I've owned so far, even more so in some ways. I can highly recommend this amp to all those who have grown tired of "syrupy, sweet sounding" tube amps or "cool and clinical" SS amps. I would say it sounds like the perfect hybridization of SS and tubes, at least to my ears, and yet it is not a hybrid amp. Another amp that delivers what I might call a similar sort of *hybrid sound* is the Sugden Headmaster, and yet it is a pure SS design. The little Decware monoblocks I used to own seemed to combine what might be called "clean SS sound" with "tube vivacity". Pass Labs is due to release a SS headphone amp this year, and I'm willing to bet that it too might strike a fine balance.
As I've owned or listened to tube and SS amps over the years, the sum of my experience has indicated a thing or two about "convergence" in amp sound. I know for a fact that tubes do not have to sound overly "warm", "tubey", "distorted", etc... SS does not have to sound "cold", "clinical", "sterile", etc... Others would agree with me and the evidence that I'm aware of at this point in time suggests that good sound comes from many design paths. Different amps are not necessarily *good* in the same ways but good ones do tend to "agree" with each other to a great extent in the most fundamental ways. Differences do exist but the better amps sound more alike than than different. The better ones, IMO, have a tendency to get out of their own way so that you can concentrate on the music rather than the sound.How do you define "tube sound"? How do you define "Solid State sound"? I'd say that there is significant evidence of "convergence" to be found in amp sound nowadays. If you claim to hear something different than that, if that is truly how you've heard things, then all I can say is "More power to you!". I am not you and you are not me.
Edits: 10/23/14 10/23/14 10/23/14 10/23/14 10/23/14 10/23/14 10/23/14Follow Ups:
Is your headphone amp OTL? If it is then it is not surprising that it doesn't sound like a typical tube amp.
That being said OTL amplifiers don't sound like typical tube amps for two main reasons: 1) They don't have output transformers and 2) They often use a fair amount of negative feedback.
Typical push pull EL34 or 6550/KT88 tube amps usually commit two or three sins: 1) underrated output transformers that create a lot of distortion in the bass, which of course means high order harmonics that run right through the midrange and create a "tubey", "warm" or "syrupy" sound. 2) While tube amps cannot use the same amount of negative feedback as transistors, many companies will use 10db or more and this has the effect of damaging the high frequencies, sometimes creating a "bright" or "glassy" sound. 3) The driver stage is inadequate and doesn't split the phase perfectly and you get quite a bit of distortion when driven hard. Probably contributes to a lack of transparency.
Quite a few well known amps commit at least two of these sins and get a sound that might be associated with "sterotypical" tube sound.
Solid state amps typically have multiple stages with both a lot of nested and global negative feedback. The effect is quite damaging both in terms of high frequencies and perceived tonality. Also, it definitely appears to have an affect on perceived dynamics. It can make bass sound overly controlled as well.
Some designers have done away with the stages and feedback (or at least most of it) and get amps that are design-wise very similar to simple triode circuits (like Pass First Watt or Telurium Q, which i have not heard). They have done this in an attempt to get closer to a more natural sound with their amps...in their opinions of course.
The net result are amps that in some ways sound a bit like OTLs and in some ways sound a bit like SETs but in some very important ways do not sound like either. It is those hard to describe areas of perception related to dimensionality, micro dynamics, tonal dynamics, by which I mean the change in the tone of an instrument based on how loud it is played, Image dimensionality and density and even macro dynamics.
Hybrids are getting closer but that is because they have quite a bit of tube there already and it is not a guarantee which will dominate the sound.
The harmonic distortion patterns for tube amp designs often differ greatly from transistor amp designs...even the most modern ones, so it is no surprise the sound isn't really converging.
I think what you mean is that the grossest coloration of both types have been largely removed by the best makers and I would generally agree with this but it doesn't mean that they really sound so similiar...just a bit less different. Both can be enjoyable in the short run but in the long run the character of even the best SS amps wears thin for me so it is then obvious the difference.
A good example was this show. There was a room with Magico Q1 and Solution cd player and integrated amp (ugliest damn gear I have ever seen just about). THis is highly touted stuff with a price to match. First listen was that it was smooth, refined with plenty of detail; however, tonal palette was muted and kind of grayish (no dynamic tonality or shading to speak of). Highs were restrained so a decent soundstage was possible (a big advance in SS has been here I think). Dynamics were sort of dead...it seemed like there were swings but you didn't feel it...it was rather muted and detached. All-in-all the sound was polite and refined but sort of antiseptic and bland.
Even worse was the JMlab with Naim...a worse combination is hard to find. Analytical sounding speakers with dry as a desert electronics. THe sound SAT at the speakers with no sense of air at all. It was like the driest most tasteless champagne you can imagine where afterwards all you can think about is "give me a glass of water!"
The Audio Note room tended to lean in the direction you would probably call classically "tubey" and IMO it was as well. However, I think in this case it fell more down to the speakers clouding up the sound than the electronics...but I am not sure without trying their gear with speakers I know to be revealing.
What stunned about the Ypsilon room was that it sounded like tubes in the sense of space, inner detial, dynamics etc. but tonally it was just...real...not ss cool or tube warm just right and with the right tonal scaling...spot on. With different speakers maybe it wouldn't be quite right (Cheever believes that the distortion the gear is producing has to be right for the volume being listened at so it also depends on the load/sensitivity of the speaker being used). With their own speakers it was bang on.
IMO, tubes get some sonic aspects like you would hear live far better than transistors and it is why there is likely not to be a true convergence anytime soon. I note though that you are not using a transistor headphone amp ;-)
MCab,
Cant agree, Both are equal in their deficiency against real live reference. SS captures power, speed and immediacy of live music better than toob amplfiers , by a long shot, toobs tend to capture the size or due to a lack of a better phrase, the "meat" on instruments, vocals, space, better than SS, but slow and limp by comparision.
Where I do find tooobs can excell over SS is in the pre-amp stage , Toob pre's can match or better their SS counterparts, so I'm for Hybrids as the way forward if choosing one topology.
Regards..
Generally I agree that both are on opposite sides of "true" sound but I don't agree that they are equal in their deficiency and this is because of human tolerance to different kinds of distortions is not equal. I would argue that the kinds of high order higher frequency distortion one encounters regularly with SS is more damaging to realism and long term listening pleasure. The biggest effect that the tube distortions seem to cause is a lack of apparent transparency and some tonal sameness that leads to somewhat boring sound.
The best of both minimize these traits but not to inexistence; however, I find that the best tube gear gets far closer to what I hear live with the right recordings than any SS. The colorations from SS are too damaging IMO.
For preamps, I have heard only one competitive SS preamp to the best tube designs...the Lyra Connisseur preamp. That is a good one. Otherwise, only tubes deliver SOTA preamp sound IMO. I haven't heard the SS preamp from Robert Koda though...
I wonder how many people get the wrong impression of an amp after hearing a sub-optimal matchup? Those of us who own amps with variable impedance switching or multiple impedance taps know what can happen in a sub-optimal matchup.
Its pretty easy to determine impedance tap to use once you know z-min.
My experience is that this doesn't seem to matter very much. One amp I had sounded best on the 8 ohm tap regardless of the speaker impedance. Another one seems to work better on the 4 ohm tap for one speaker even though that speaker doesn't drop below 6 ohms. That same amp works best at 8 ohms on a similar speaker and 8 ohms on my horns.
When I had Acoustats, despite dropping to 2 ohms in the bass and 2 ohms in the highs, the 8 ohm tap sounded always the best with that speaker regardless of the amp.
Go figure. Matchin is a great place to start but I would advocate simply trying an listening to determine the right tap.
Wrong! I am currently using a transistor headphone amp, just as I always have. I always insist on owning both SS and tube gear together and at once. The Keces HA-171 SS headphone amp/preamp I currently own provides it's own unique listening perspective, but in the overall sense, it sounds more similar to than different from the DNA Sonett SET tube amp I also use. I also own the Headroom Buda SS headphone amp, although it is not currently being used by me.When I say "listening perspective", I'm mostly thinking about relative "forwardness" and relative "distance". One amp seems to put me closer to the music, the other seems to let me sit farther away from it. I've never been one to get stuck on a certain type of listening perspective, but I do insist on using gear that seems to move out of the way of the music as much as possible - even though such a thing is not entirely possible. I choose my headphones and my amplification based on the type of music I'm listening to, for the slight edge one combination of gear provides over the other combination in a given circumstance.
Back on topic, it seems as if you're saying that tubes and Solid State, while never sounding exactly the same, do not necessarily sound completely different either. Obviously, I would tend to agree with that idea. I still think that a significant amount of "convergence" is possible when tube and SS amp designers try very hard to compete with one another.
Edits: 10/23/14
Well you mentioned a tube one so...
The further/closer thing is probably more circuit dependent than device dependent.
As I said simply before, the fundamental differences in the device and circuit topologies means that the two will never fully converge. At first listen, it might even seem so but longer listening always reveals that the basic characters of the devices are quite different...only an audiophile might care but it is there nonetheless.
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