Tubes Asylum Questions about tubes and gear that glows. FAQ

---

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] Thread: [ Display  All  Email ] [ Tubes Asylum ]

---

[ Alert Moderator ]

---

RE: Who ever said rating tubes was objective or scientific?

Posted by ivan_terrible (P) on February 23, 2016 at 11:07:06

In Reply to: Who ever said rating tubes was objective or scientific? posted by Mendel on February 23, 2016 at 10:06:26:

"Deciding which tubes sound good and which sound bad is a purely subjective pursuit, like most things in audio."

Couldn't disagree more.
If everything is subjective then there is no point in doing anything properly, it's just a world full of arbitrary ideas and pseudo science.

I know Pseudo science is incredibly popular, as it resembles witchcraft.

"You can go up the blind A or B testing road to get some "scientific" angle, but really what's the point?"

The point is you CAN measure what sounds good and what sounds bad.
Usually this is done in industry with Bruel and Kjaer equipment which has a totally flat response.
What you see it what you get.

If it applies to measuring the spectra of aircraft engine noise and taking measures to change it, then it's good enough for me.

"You hear a tube in your amp and decide if you like it or not. Then something else comes along and you decide if it is better than the first tube. You do this long enough and you create a rating scale."

Well I never do things like that for the simple reason I design my stuff to do what is says on the tin.
In other words it's been designed to work as it was designed.

If it does something unexpected or sub optimal, then it's my fault for having done the design wrong or picked the wrong component in the first place.

I don't blame radio valves for being non linear and becoming picky about components,while causing chaos in all their operating parameters.
Such amplifiers are fundamentally unstable distortion creators.

The whole point about linear amplifiers, as viewed by people like Linsley-Hood, was that the output signal should resemble as close as possible the input signal.

That's how it works in studio mixers for decades, and I don't see how or why it should be any different in a power amplifier.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Amplified Parts

---

[ Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]

---

[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]

---