Is your tube amp really a tube amp?


I use and love the older ARC D70Mk2 tube amp. To many people, this design is a true tube amp...however, ARC uses a LOT of transistors in the circuit. In the "day" a transistor was considered a ss device. Anyone know of a tube amp that uses NO transistors in the circuit...only tubes. I suspect that in my amp, the audio signal passes only through the tubes and not through the "ss" devices ( don't know this for sure)...Therefore, what is a TRUE tube amp...how many of us are actually using such a device ( no transistors or other ss devices whatsoever in the amp), vs. a hybrid...what's the definition of that term in regards to tube gear?
128x128daveyf
Using tube rectifiers and regulators in the power supply instead of solid state equivalents is also considered by many tube purists as being required for a pure tube design.
You can add AC for the heaters as a requirement for an all-tube amp. Otherwise you need solid-state diodes for a DC supply.
FYI - A tube rectifier is the tube equivalent of a diode, rectifying the AC into DC.
yes... but you'd need a massive dropper resistor to get the voltage down to heater voltage levels.