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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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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?
czarivey
5,946 posts
 
Answer: they ain't got no bass.
daveyf's avatar
daveyf OP
2,871 posts
 
Atmasphere, what do you consider a hybrid tube amp? Since you say a solid state device in the power supply does not mean that the amp is not a true tube amp, what qualifies as a hybrid?
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Oh, they got bass. Tube bass, too.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,203 posts
 
By the time I get the bass sounding good to me consistently with a tube amp I may as well just forget about it and stick with Class D. At least with any speakers that I currently own that are relatively full range.
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