high power tube amps vs ss

Minor1 said:

I know good design and engineering when I hear it or see it.

Not to be contrary, but unless I miss my guess, neither you nor anyone else has ever "heard" a "design". You may have heard a system based on a component whose designer made trade-offs and design decisions that ultimately yielded a sound that conformed to your aesthetic. Now when you say:

What would be better is to have forums where solid state amp designers and tube amp designers sit and answer questions and discuss these issues. Then, you will have a more fair discussion and I guarantee that you will have better insite [sic] and information.

I say, right on bro!!!

@ Swampwalker +1

Audiogon often seems a magnet for unique or differing perspectives on good sound. SS is old hat and boring. Does not attract much attention these days as a technology. Class D amps are newer and get a lot of attention here. Tubes are cooler and more unique these days, as is vinyl.

I'm working on building more appreciation for Walsh style speakers here on A'gon myself in that I believe Lincoln Walsh used his engineering experience with radar systems in WW2 to get dynamic speakers right while the rest of the world missed the boat. Pretty radical....

The odd ordered harmonics are perceived as sound pressure level comment is interesting to me. I recently switched from all tube amplification to a very good tube preamp and very low distortion and high current solid state amps. Musical transients are now much more impactful and realistic spls are acheived and not perceived as loud, (lack of odd order harmonic distortion?)Very happy with the results with one caveat. Using my sound meter I am now regularly listening to music in the mid 90 to low 100 db range and starting to get some evidence that I'm affecting my hearing. Maybe I was better off with the even ordered tube harmonic distortion satiety at about 10 to 15 db less sound pressure level and not going deaf. Go figure.

05-24-13: Mapman
... I believe Lincoln Walsh used his engineering experience with radar systems in WW2 to get dynamic speakers right while the rest of the world missed the boat. Pretty radical.

Interestingly, as far as I am aware he was also the only manufacturer of consumer-oriented audio power amplifiers utilizing the 300B directly heated triode power tube, between the earliest days of hifi and the resurgence of interest in that tube that occurred in the last three decades or so.

Also, some of his amplifiers used 2A3 DHT power tubes, and similar comments apply to them, with the slight qualification that his use of 2A3s was preceded by their use in the power amplifier sections of certain high end radios of the 1930s.

Those Brook Electronics Company amplifiers are highly collectable these days, and go for big $$$ on the rare occasions when they appear for sale.

Best,
-- Al