Home Amp/Preamp Asylum

Looking for a new Amp or Preamp? If you're after tubes, post over here.

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] Thread: [ Display  All  Email ] [ Amp/Preamp Asylum ]
[ Alert Moderator ]

"Tube Watts"

Hello,

Just about every tube amp made has a push-pull output stage, and certainly 99.999% of those with 50 wpc fall into that category.

There used to be a saying popular a couple of decades ago, "One tube watt is worth two solid state watts." This was *not* a myth, there is an actual technical reason for it, Specifically, the output transformer in a push-pull tube amp will *reject* sag or droop or other imperfection in the power supply.

This is *not* true for the vast majority of solid-state amps - either A/B or switching. But there are a handful of solid-state amps that are fully balanced from input to output - meaning that the output stage is a *balanced bridge* design. It will reject sag, droop, and other imperfections of the power supply in the same way that a push-pull tube amp will (which is exactly the same way that a balanced input will reject hum, even in long cables with low signal levels as found in recording studios.

The Naim is does *not* have a balanced-bridge output stage. But if you can find a solid-state class A/B power amp with 100 wpc and a balanced bridge output stage, it will sound as powerful as a 200 wpc solid-state amp with a single-ended output stage (class A/B or switching).

Hope this helps,
Charles Hansen

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

Follow Ups Full Thread
Follow Ups
FAQ

Post a Message!

 Forgot Password?
Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
  Remember my Moniker & Password  (What's this?)    Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:
Message:   (Posts are subject to Content Rules)
Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:  Automagically notify you when someone responds.

[ Top 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 ]