2. amps-preamps
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Tube Amp Watts and Quality Electrons. LOL

Have a serious Q. On occasion, I see a serious comment about matching amps and speakers. And the post makes a passing reference to "tube watts" or something to that effect, permitting an inference that a 100 wpc tube amp is somehow not the same as a 100 wpc SS amp. Can someone explain why this distinction is occassionally made. I assume it doesn't have anything to do with the quality of the electrons.

Thanks and Happy Holidays
bifwynne
bifwynne OP
2,206 posts
 
Makes sense guys. Although I've read or heard that if a tube amp is abused beyond the point of all reason, it could oscillate and throw off some damaging signals.

My tube amp's rated output is about 120+ wpc. Honestly, . . . . I can't push it too hard because the SPL hurts my ears.

I assumed the reference to tube power had nothing to do with the quality of the electrons.

Happy Holidays!
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,318 posts
 
I would explain it just as Mapman did above, but Ralph at Atmas-phere has a more complex answer involving current vs. voltage delivery into real world speaker loads. It's on their website and it is well worth reading.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Tube amps generally have higher dynamic headroom, so they should produce more power on peaks without clipping than similarly rated solid state amps. Of course you'd have to look at the dynamic headroom spec on an amp by amp basis.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,111 posts
 
Bifwynn, this article might help, pay attention to the issues of odd ordered harmonic distortion, as that relates directly to your question:

http://www.atma-sphere.com/Resources/Paradigms_in_Amplifier_Design.php
bifwynne OP
2,206 posts
 
Thanks Ralph. I re-read it . . . again. Your article touches on a point that I raised in another OP. Namely, how can one determine whether a particular speaker was designed to work best with a voltage paradigm amp or a power paradigm amp.

Frankly, the responses in the other OP were not sufficiently informative enough for me to look at a speaker's impedance and phase angle plots and say one way or the other which type of amp would be best suited to drive the speaker in question.

Your article mentioned some specialty speakers that naturally mate well with one type of an amp or another, e.g., electrostats do well with tube amps. What I find confounding is how to make a judgment with respect to the "conventional" bass reflex or acoustic speakers in the middle of the pack.

I am not so proud to admit that through a combination of sheer dumb luck and untrained ears, I think my ARC VS-115 tube amp seems to mate well with my Paradigm S8 v3 fronts. I guess I'm just too dumb to know the difference between sonic swill and audiophile grade sound.

Oh well, I choose to remain blissfully ignorant and happy with what I have.

Happy Holidays to all.

Bruce
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