Tube or Trasistor


Hello friends
Hope you all had a good New Year!!
I live on the far south coast of Australia, the nearest hi fi shop, is a three hours drive!!, so can some one give me advice??, as I have found the sound on a lot of music to be a bit harsh, below is My gear!!
1. Once Analog TT, loaded with a loaded Denon/Zu 103 cartridge
2. JLTI phono stage, with power supply, (sold state), made in Switzerland by Allen wright
3. PS Audio, pre-amp with build in DAC
4.Pair of PS Tube Mono Blocks, these are highly regarderd, running KT 88's output tubes, made in Hong Kong, silver point to point wiring!!
5. Pair of Zu Soul MK 2 speakers
Friends, some modern recordings sound great, but as I have mint collection of music, some sound harsh!!
My last system, sounded great, in the bass region, but was lacking in the top end, just a bit!!
My last system was, below, please don't ask why I don't have it any more, very personal!!
1. Well tempered Labs Classic, with a Dyavector 17 D 3
2. A local made Tube pre amp, with phono stage, made by a person in Canberrra, I don't have his name!!, This system is approx 20 years old??
3. Bedini class A transistor amp, around 100wps
4. Shahinian Arc Speakers!!
Although i has been nearly twenty years, since the last time I heard this system, I don't remember, this system sounding "harsh"!!
The only thing I can think off, is the pre amp was" tubed", and the amp was solid state, now it is the otherway around, the phono stage, and pre amp are solid state!!, whilst the mono blocks, are tubed!!
Am I missing something here??, Before I change my system, with a cost I can't really afford, can some one give me advice?? Thanks in advance
David Spry
Australia


128x128daveyonthecoast
atmosphere--- Let's slow down here and try to work together. I could have expressed myself better on some points, so...

On tubes vs. solid state specifications: Yes, all active devices do have variances, and, having built numerous of my own preamps, power amplifiers, voltage regulated supplies, and unity gain buffers, I'm well aware of those pesky variables. But there's a critical distinction between electron tubes and solid state devices. The classic tube manufacturers (RCA/GE/Sylvania/Tung-Sol/Raytheon/Mullard/Amperex/Telefunken, et al) did not ever test or deliver their products with absolute min/max control limits. Instead, they simply stated "typical" performance criteria. Check any receiving-type tube data sheet, and you will see that no guaranteed min/max performance control is applied, other than for the usual destructive ("do not exceed") limitations.

Solid-state devices are entirely different---there are lots of guaranteed min/max limits provided for many operating parameters, and they're all listed on the related data sheet. So, in comparison, there is really an important difference between the way tubes and solid-state devices are made---and sold. Tubes come with uncontrolled performance variables, whereas solid-state devices vary, but only within specified limits. That's a real distinction.

Regarding audio products using vacuum tubes: Yes, there are now many small companies making products that use tubes. In the '50s and '60s there were many LARGE and small companies making products with tubes. Solid-state never got traction until the mid-70s. And the small companies of today that supply tube audio products import virtually all of the tubes that they need.

Re. the guitar market, yes, agreed. It represents the dominant demand for receiving type vacuum tubes. The audiophile market alone would probably be insufficient to justify viable vacuum tube business. Of course, the guitar + audiophile market in sum is just a tiny blip in the overall sphere of consumer electronics, so we'll never see the return of the big corporate tube producers like those that I reference above.

Re. domestic tube manufacturing: Hey, right! Welcome to RCH Labs. Hope that they do well! They started up in late 2016 and they're making 6L6 output tubes. Looks dicey to me. Korg doesn't actually make any conventional receiving tubes, just some experimental nuvistors, an extension of the old RCA technology. The Western Electric tube facility is actually in Kansas City rather than GA; the latter is corporate home.  My information is that there is no true commercial production ongoing at this time. I could be wrong.
There will always be common octal tubes like EL34, KT88, 6L6, and EL84.  There will also be 12A*7 tubes in ample supply.
No wonder poor old davey has'nt got back, the threads disintegrated into median wages for USA etc.

ADD anyone?
Tubes come with uncontrolled performance variables, whereas solid-state devices vary, but only within specified limits. That's a real distinction.
Not really! When you say 'solid state devices vary', you mean that they vary from completely nonfunctional out of the tape or bag or whatever they come in, to completely exceeding their specs so you can't find a match for them, right? I don't see that as particularly distinctive!

These days there are a lot of counterfeit Chinese semiconductors out there that don't meet important specs in any way, in addition if you look at all the obsolete semiconductors out there that you have to pay a premium for on ebay if you can find them at all (there are far more obsolete devices than there are that are in production), tubes can look pretty attractive; you can still find competent new 6SN7s and the like.

We're rarely had to match tubes to get them to work in our circuits, but when we involved semiconductors, we've had to build jigs to test them so as to sort out the devices that simply weren't going to work at all.

So I find this bit of your argument as simply a non-starter.

I get that for whatever reason you don't like tubes. I don't have a problem with that. We can cut with all the technical stuff since when it comes down to it, it does not matter. If you look at it from an economic standpoint, then you really see what is going on:

Tubes are still here after being 'obsolete' for longer than when they were the only game in town! Normally, when a new technology succeeds the prior art, the prior art becomes a museum piece. But apparently people want tubes and keep them going. The simple fact that the Chinese built a new factory to get into the tube game should tell you something- tubes aren't obsolete because they do things transistors so far can't (with the possible exception of the Static Induction Transistor, sorry, obsolete, n.l.a.), which is to be so linear that building a low distortion circuit with them is easy.

More to the point, tubes don't make the kinds of distortion to which our ears are finely tuned. Transistors do! This is why the tubes/transistor debate has been around far longer than the internet and won't be going away anytime soon.

Solid-state cannot compete with tubes. Even a table radio with a 4" speaker & tubes sounds better than transistor radios. A 4" speaker only produces voices, but the voices sound real with tubes. I can hear the difference in another room.

Most vintage tube amps & receivers sound better than tubes. I use a lowly Allied 333 (same as Pioneer SX-34). Stock sounded good, but I upgraded all coupling capacitors. I placed certain select tubes in & rebuilt the power supply to outperform the original with regard to AC ripple. The soundstage is clear & open extending far beyond the speaker ends. I just have not been able to duplicate that with SS amps & SS receivers.

I used to rebuild Fisher tube receivers & amplifiers. I shipped to the USA & abroad. I was told I rebuilt the best sounding Fishers ever! I guess so.

Anyways, applied the same mods to the Allied 333. One great detail about this simple receiver is a very simple & uncomplicated audio path from preamp to main amp. That makes a difference too. So, you do not have to spend much to enjoy high-end tube audio.

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