tube watts vs solid state watts

i think it all depend's on what amp's your comparing,some manufacturer's intentionally under rate their amp's wattage while other's rate their's right on the money.

there is no correct answer to your question.

mike.

Perceived loudness aside, take care not to impose a loudspeaker/volume load on to a relatively underpowered tube amp such that it often is driven into clipping. Tube or ss, you still should properly match an amp to its load.

I think tube amps have 3 to 6db more headroom then ss amps at any given pwoer rating before serious levels of distortion become evident.

Larry

Samuelaudio,

Your question is complicated by the term perceived loudness. Loudness is the preception of sound level. Had you asked do they vary in produced sound presssure level (SPL), that depends on the gain. One 60 watt amp might reach full level with a .5 volt input, another 1.5 volt, a case in point being the old Mac 60 and Dynaco 60. Obviously the Mac 60 had much higher gain. It also depends on how well the amp matches the impedance characteristics of the speaker. Some speakers are notorious for dipping down to very low impedances at certain frequencies.

Loudness, OTH, has many characteristics. Distortion is a main component, so even a moderate SPL can seem loud, just visit the "HIFI" room of most Circuit City stores. In so far as tube amps might be more prone to introduce distortions, e.g. tube microphonics, they can indeed sound louder for a given input.

db

I am not so concerned with the location of the volume knob or which amp gives more volume on a given setting. That of coarse is dependent on the gain of the amp and the matching between the two components.

I have experienced over and over that tubes amps just simply play louder per watt of rating. I am not a tech guy but know what I have experienced playing with perhaps 15-20 SS and tube amps in my home.

One other thing I have noticed. I love both SS and tube amps and will always have one of each on hand. My ears find that SS amps fire the sound out of the speakers more than tube amps. They attack the listening position more. Tube amps seem to float the sound out of the speakers more. Again, this is something I have found to be generally true. The one exception was my Mac MC402 amp which did not fire out the sound like most SS amps but floated it out. Just like the reviewer said " it was the best tube amp I have ever heard".