Tube amps have a signature sound


Hi folks, this is a bit controversial issue. We all know that nowadays none of the tube amps exhibits the "typical tube sound" (what is the typical tube sound anyway?). If someone says: tube amps have a signature sound, others would say that this signature sound is not typical to tube amps. Well, imho there is something with many tube amps (pre and poweramps). They sound quite fluid, especially in the midrange. The midrange itself is often a bit bigger and more forward than the typical solid state amplifiers. This midrange has also a certain "natural" quality (harmonic richness?). Of course there are tube amps that sound like solid state and solid state amps that sound like tube amps, but in the end I have to admit that many (or most) tube pre and poweramps have a "signature" sound that is somehow related to implementation of tubes in the circuitry. I think that this is also the reason why some manufacturers prefer tube over solid state circuitries. What do you think?

Chris
dazzdax
Excellent point Rodman9999. And I do know the difference between Zildjian and Sabians or a Paste. Or when the drum stick strikes the skin of the snare drum head in the middle or partial on the rim simultaneously.
Which is why I run a nice sounding tube preamp with solid state monoblock amps in my rig,
kinda gives me a little of the best of both worlds.
Bigkidz- I've been doing that for the past 18 years(and bi-amping in general since 1981). Need any tips?
Rodman99999, the clipping of an amplifier does produce a square wave, and those 'corners' are where the odd harmonics reside.

If you compare a tube amp to a transistor amplifier when both are clipping, the much harder clip of the transistor amplifier is visible on any oscilloscope and the obviously higher quantity of odd-ordered harmonics is easy seen. This is why transistor amplifiers have a harsh overload character and also why most guitar players prefer the smooth overload of tube amplifiers.