Those mainly have to do with the design of the output tubes. triode, pentode, tetrode, (diode?) all refer to the output tubes' types. It's rather complex, a good explanation is in the old RCA receiving tubes book, pick up one if you can find it, editions after about 1965-68 are the best.
Triode and Pentode are probably the best overall configurations. Pentode is about double the output power of triode, all else being equal. tetrode=not very common in high-end tube gear. single ended = one tube doing both pos. and neg. of the waveform. push-pull = one tube for each side of waveform. also other options like parallel single ended, transformer coupled, etc. Check www.audioasylum.com in the tubes area, and FAQ for more info.
-Ed
Triode and Pentode are probably the best overall configurations. Pentode is about double the output power of triode, all else being equal. tetrode=not very common in high-end tube gear. single ended = one tube doing both pos. and neg. of the waveform. push-pull = one tube for each side of waveform. also other options like parallel single ended, transformer coupled, etc. Check www.audioasylum.com in the tubes area, and FAQ for more info.
-Ed