Tube vs Tran

I agree that damping factor has some effect on the poor bass of most tube amps. But wooly bass can mostly attributed to the hundeds of feet of wire in the output transformer. This is not always the case but the main reason.

03-26-08: Rwwear said:
"I agree that damping factor has some effect on the poor bass of most tube amps. But wooly bass can mostly attributed to the hundeds of feet of wire in the output transformer. This is not always the case but the main reason."

"Wooly bass" isn't just a tube vs. SS thing. Last week I heard a Primare integrated driving the DALI Helicon 400Mk.2 sounding unacceptably wooly. It came under control when we put in a Rowland Capri/102 combination, but it really started to shine when the Rowland 501 monoblocks were switched in.

I think it's a combination of damping factor and watts. You can have a relatively high damping factor, but if it's combined with low wattage and big drivers in the speakers, then it can still get "wooly."

Bi-amping a big speaker is a great way to get control of the woofer(s) while optimizing the "liquidity" of the mids and treble. You can combine high watts and damping on the bottom, separate the signals so they don't muddy each other and free yourself to maximize the euphonic character of the mids and highs with tubes.

Dave

I just wonder how many people go from SS to tube, or tube to SS. My suspicion is, once you have tried tubes, for most of us, there is no way back. Nor are tube amps wooly and soft, my tube integrated is lightening fast, quiet, uncoloured with deep base. It is more than $3000 though. If I was going for an integrated in that price range, I would go for a VAC Avatar, or the super later version. It would only be second hand, as sadly, VAC have no integrated at the moment. If I won the lottery, it would be a vAC Phi Beta integrated

03-26-08: David12 wondered:
"I just wonder how many people go from SS to tube, or tube to SS. My suspicion is, once you have tried tubes, for most of us, there is no way back. Nor are tube amps wooly and soft, my tube integrated is lightening fast, quiet, uncoloured with deep base. It is more than $3000 though. If I was going for an integrated in that price range,..."

As with any component I suspect the answer will vary widely depending on associated equipment, particularly speakers. I can't imagine using tubes with Vienna Acoustic Mahlers after hearing them driven by Rowland 501s or a Rowland 312. However, there are speakers that are going to sound just peachy with tubes, even low powered tubes.

BTW, I LOVE tubes with my headphones. My single-ended, class A Woo Audio WA6 with GZ34 rectifier tube is magic with all my cans. There's an example of a perfect application for tubes.

Dave

It is a well known fact that transformers roll off bass and high frequencies in most cases. This is one reason tube amps seem to have good midranges. The upper and lower frequencies are attenuated in some designs especially the single ended varieties. Some people really like the euphoric sound produced by these designs.