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Sadly i haven't had a chance to listen to a tube amp yet....and i do not know how it sounds,i am saving money for an amp,and i cannot decide if i want SS or tubes.
are tubes good for rock and metal?(that is what i listen to most)
Tube amplifiers can be really great on all music, including rock.
A bit dependent on the configuration (which tubes, amplifier, etc.) and the headphone of course.
I think it is a matter of taste and preference. In general, SS is more dynamic and has better bass control. Not necessary more bass, but tighter bass. Tubes give you a more organic, romantic sound especially in the midrange.
If you are starting out and you listen mostly to rock and metal, I would suggest going to SS. If you listen more to vocals and acoustic instruments (non-amplified), I think you would get more benefits usually attributed to tubes.
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FrankC STUDY ROOM RIG: Sonic Frontier SFT-1 + Genesis Digital Lens + Mark Levinson #36
Headphone amps: Consonance Cyber 20 (Amperex 12AU7+ pair of Amperex 7189 D-getter); Cyber 30 (GE 12AX7 Triple Mica+ pair of Mullard 2A3); Rudistor RP5.1cav (Ampered 6922 PQ White label)
Headphones: Sennheiser HD650/Zu Mobius cable; HD-600/Cardas OFFICE/TRAVEL RIG: Panasonic SL-SX510/Cowon iAudox X5 60gb --> Headroom Airhead -->Etymotics ER-4S/Grado SR-60/Shure SE530 MAIN RIG: ARC LS25 Mk I GNSC Ref Mod (Amperex Pinched Waist 6DJ8s + Telefunken 6922s)+ Pass X350.5 + Verity Parsifal Encore/Digital Front: Mark Levinson #37 + Sonic Frontier SFD2 MkII. Analog Front: Michell Orbe SE + SME V + Shelter 901 + ARC PH3 SE.
mm haven't decided yet,because i could go for something cheap like a darkvoice at the near future,or keep saving and buy something better like the SP EXTREME.
but for now i'd say around 350$
Originally Posted by Zanth
Tube or SS it doesn't matter it is all about the individual amp. I'd never buy an amp that couldn't do all forms of music equally well.
I'd never buy an amp that couldn't do all forms of music equally well.
When you find one let me know. I like to buy one.
All equipment/technology have tradeoffs. Especially at the lower price ranges. Tubes are not perfect, they introduce some type of harmonic distortion to the sound. So from a technical point of view, they are not "pure", meaning they do not faithfully reproduce the information. Solid State is not perfect either. Otherwise one technology would have taken over the other. SS has been around for what, 30 some odd years? Tube based audio equipment did not simply become obsolete and vanish, but is still going strong.
I'm not saying that one will be good at something, and totally suck at another. Each amp/technology has areas where it shines, and other areas where it may be just a notch below another.
Music is produced by all types of instruments, and there are thousands of them. What we are asking our systems, including speakers/headphones to do is to be able to mimic ALL of these sound-producing instruments including human vocals. And everyone has an opinion on what is the "right" sound. I was at RMAF a few weeks ago, and just speakers along, there were at least 10 to 20 vastly different approaches/designs. And some can reproduce certain types of music better than others.
OK, I better shut up before getting myself into trouble.... Just my 2 cents.
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FrankC STUDY ROOM RIG: Sonic Frontier SFT-1 + Genesis Digital Lens + Mark Levinson #36
Headphone amps: Consonance Cyber 20 (Amperex 12AU7+ pair of Amperex 7189 D-getter); Cyber 30 (GE 12AX7 Triple Mica+ pair of Mullard 2A3); Rudistor RP5.1cav (Ampered 6922 PQ White label)
Headphones: Sennheiser HD650/Zu Mobius cable; HD-600/Cardas OFFICE/TRAVEL RIG: Panasonic SL-SX510/Cowon iAudox X5 60gb --> Headroom Airhead -->Etymotics ER-4S/Grado SR-60/Shure SE530 MAIN RIG: ARC LS25 Mk I GNSC Ref Mod (Amperex Pinched Waist 6DJ8s + Telefunken 6922s)+ Pass X350.5 + Verity Parsifal Encore/Digital Front: Mark Levinson #37 + Sonic Frontier SFD2 MkII. Analog Front: Michell Orbe SE + SME V + Shelter 901 + ARC PH3 SE.
There shoudl not be a difference in the sound of any amp within its drive capabilities on any given load, I simply cannot abide the stupid caracatured differences that people drum up about tubes vs solid state. The point is moot, a better solid state amp is better than a worse tube amp, even if that tube amp is twice the price.
What types of music are tube amps good at?
As long as its a good amp for your needs, all of them, same as the solid state option.
For what types of music are tube amps good for?
Linear Mode
