[Vulcan00]

Which of the tube amps is the best for highs and mid-range sound?

[Niteshade]

Your question has a great deal to do with speaker interaction and not as much about the kind of amplifier, but how the amplifier was designed. This is because any given amplifier type can be made to sound warm, bassy, neutral, mellow, clinical, sharp, etc.... It has to do with how the amp sees the load, iron used and output power relative to speaker sensitivity. Other factors: Tube or solid state rectification can make a difference.

[Vulcan00]

Thank you for your reply. I guess I was thinking of the different type of tube amps like the ultralinear, triode, SET ect. Which one of the type sounds better in the high and mid-range. Am I to take it then that the sound of these freq. are  or can be the same with the different types, with consideration given to the best matching speakers?

[Niteshade]

Speaker sensitivity determines how well an amplifier can breathe. For example, with a 10 watt amplifier, you will hear music with more definition if it is connected to 95db speakers instead of 88 db rated ones. That is because you're not pushing the amp as hard with sensitive speakers.

Think of it like this: You can pick up a 15 pound box and put it where you want to much easier than a 50lb box. It's doubly true if you're not accustomed to lifting or can't lift heavy objects easily.

All speakers load amps differently. It has to do with how linear their impedance remains across their advertised frequency spectrum. If it is linear, a small amp will operate better- but it still will not perform as it would with a more efficient load. (Impedance linearity always aids an amp.)

A concise rendition of what I said above: Match amplifier power according to speaker efficiency. It is safe to err on the side of high power. You're potentially asking for trouble using small amps on inefficient speakers. There are no issues running large amps on efficient speakers.

Amplifier topology has less of a bearing on sound than the kind of circuit and parts used to make an amp. There are generalizations based on inadequate listening experience on every amplifier topology. You can have clinical SET's and warm push-pulls, for example. People often generalize the opposite is true. Common knowledge is often imperfect.

[Vulcan00]

Thanks Blair, I understand.