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Tube preamplifier circuits

Please forgive my lack of design expertise. I noticed in years passed most tube preamplifiers would have at least two tubes per channel. Now, some of the finest tube preamplifiers replace the latter/output stage with a mosfet device. (VAC, VTL and others). Does the mosfet output have significant advantages over using another tube. Thank you in advance for your responses. 
audiobrian
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
Its the classic tradeoff between noise and sound quality.
gs5556
1,235 posts
 
MOSFETs are similar to tubes in that they are operated by voltage swings instead of current. Tubes are iffy and require care and feeding in circuit to keep them relatively quiet and performing to spec. MOSFET's are simple and consistent and cheaper to install, so you get a more reliable product at lower cost, which is high on the list of design parameters. However, a tube input stage is always better than semiconductor, so that is why tube preamps will always be around.
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