[eclein]

Ever since I started putting pieces of tubed equipment (1st was Tube DAC)  into my system I seem to be enjoying music more. I recently put a little tube integrated amp into play and the dynamics of the music for me just come to the forefront more. It sounds like I'm listening deeper into the music and I'm wondering if folks that use Solid State gear have the same listening experience?

If you play an instrument for even a short time in your life you hear music a little differently I believe. I know from drumming there is a whole side of playing drums that people who have never tried wouldn't remotely know about. As a drummer I need to move a stick a few inches to play a note or a few feet to play that same note depending on the sound I want, and it must be in time with the rest of the notes and the distance and pressure or force needed to create those notes doesn't matter because it just needs to sound good. The physics involved with playing your instrument and the physical aspect of playing any instrument doesn't enter in to average guys listening experience but it does to me and most likely you.
 When I hear some of these young guys lately playing drums I just shake my head in wonder, they are smooth, the tempo is rock solid, the transitions from these fills back to the main beat is flawless-you have no idea how hard it is to make it sound that easy and being able to hear more of the dynamics involved brings the experience closer for me, how about with you???

[AVnerdguy]

Both! And I own both. When I was gigging I used tubes and SS. Both have their own distinct sound which I used as required.

I love the smooth open sound of tubes in my guitar amps and for listening to music. The only thing lacking was that big big power – especially on the bottom end. A properly designed SS amp can play clean and give me that power edge I wanted when playing LOUD.

In my current big rig at home I have the best of both. The pre and amp are both hybrids, tubes up front. The amp uses MOSFETS for the output and will drive any load no matter how extreme I get with it. And, I use some hungry speakers so I need that. Upstairs I’m using the MP-301 MK2 SET amp and love the clean details it provides.

Sorry, I guess I didn’t really answer your question but I don’t prefer one or the other – they both have a place in my system.

[eclein]

All good stuff AVnerdguy and whats a MOSFET??

[AVnerdguy]

Not going into heavy theory as it gets intense but a FET is just a valve/gate like a tube. A MOSFET is a solid state device that acts like a tube (valve) and has very high current ratings. A traditional transistor uses junctions and tends to clip when pushed too hard. The FET allows lots of power that a tube couldn't provide.

[Minn Mark]

I've always had SS gear in my stereos. My guitar amps include a 1970's Musicman (SS but has power output tubes; 30/100 watts)) and a Savage Audio Amplifiers glas30 (all tube pure class A 30W). The Savage is a killer amp for guitar tone. The MM is a real beast 15" Electrovoice.

Have thought a lot about trying some tubes in the stereo systems, but haven't gotten to it...yet.

M

[avahifi]

Many musicians favor vacuum tube power amplifiers for their musical instrument use.

In this case the amplifier actually becomes part of the instrument itself.  They use the distortion characteristics of the amplifier (which are easy to modify and change with tube amplifiers of this type) to provide the kind of sound they desire.  Their choices can be different, but it is their choice to provide the "signature" of sound they are trying to produce.

In audio system playback, we are trying to reproduce the sound the musician and his instrument gave us, not produce something different than what the musician intended.

No playback system is entirely accurate, your choices are large, but do remember the goal is to hear what the musician and his choice of instrument, including his amplifier, did, not something other than that.

Regards,

Frank Van Alstine