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Solid State vs. Tubes - What if Transistors came first?

What do you guys think?

If transistors came first, and then decades later tubes were invented, would we have any tube amps we would call high end?

Wouldn’t they all fail to reach the height of performance and transparency set by transistor amps?

Best,

E

P.S. I love Conrad Johnson. I'm just wondering how  much of our arguments have to do with timing. 
erik_squires
inna
7,296 posts
 
Soon enough we all will have brain implants and there will be no need for either tubes or transistors. Well, not us, in couple of generations maybe.
glupson
7,842 posts
 
Then the thread will be "What if our brain implants were made with tubes"
rudolfogrease
37 posts
 

Very tough topic! Its all about a matter of preference. I have several tube amps. All time preference / all season will be a KT-88 output tubes to have a thumping power of the solid state derived from the mosfet amps  70's with the Motorola J transistors that made the hi-fi solid states era incredible. The other side of the tubes is the warmth sound very hard to explain. But I will always have a backup tube amp just in case.

inna
7,296 posts
 
Yeah, brain implants with tubes, dick implants with transistors. Or would it be better the other way around? They'll figure it out, I don't even want to think about it.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Two things that are suspected to be quite bad for an audiophile’s hearing. One is sitting in close proximity to aircraft engines all day for twenty years. The other is listening to solid state amplifiers and radios for twenty years. They’re also suspected of causing, you know.... 🍑 🍔 🍔
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