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Solid State vs. Tubes - What if Transistors came first?

What do you guys think?

If transistors came first, and then decades later tubes were invented, would we have any tube amps we would call high end?

Wouldn’t they all fail to reach the height of performance and transparency set by transistor amps?

Best,

E

P.S. I love Conrad Johnson. I'm just wondering how  much of our arguments have to do with timing. 
erik_squires
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,198 posts
 
erik_squires,
Very creative phrasing to restart the same old tube versus SS debate. :-)
If modern digital streaming came first there surely would be no records.

Tubes were a step along the way to where we are today.

If a transistor looked like a tube and a tube looked like a transistor and transistors came first, ta ta tubes.


glupson
7,842 posts
 
Not me, geoffkait, not me. My school was for free. We learned about crystals, rocks, counting, you name it. I apply that basic knowledge on this thread. It is, in fact, enough for discussions here.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
I agree with mapman. Tubes were a step along the way to where we are today - which is tubes. Sometimes in order to create you must first destroy. Even John Curl likes tubes. He says they just sound right.
glupson
7,842 posts
 
Tubes were a step along the way to where we are today, which is not tubes to any meaningful extent worth mentioning anywhere but circular threads on "audiophile" forums. There was no sign of tubes on today's Apple conference and Bose does not seem to use them either.
maritime51's avatar
maritime51
1,288 posts
 
Channeling Lee Deforest-“Tubes suck.”  ⚰️🔚
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