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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?
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zd542
5,339 posts
 
"03-24-15: Czarivey
there are many true tube amps, but are there ANY true tube CD-players with buncha toobz? i only saw ones with single tube per channel and the rest of circuit is semiconducters"

I just answered your question about 1 tube per channel.
yogiboy's avatar
yogiboy
5,675 posts
 
Czarivey,I was under the presumption that quickies were all tube.
I stand corrected! He does state that his gear is all tube. Thanks for the info!
czarivey
5,946 posts
 
I had Quickies M60 with SS power supply
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,807 posts
 
A solid state device in the power supply does not mean that the amp is not a true tube amp.

An example would be a Dynaco St70 or a Harmon Kardon Citation 2.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Question: why do portable Walkman amfm radios sound so tube-like? Is because they don't require all the capacitors and transformers that high power amps do?
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