Solid state and tube amps

NavyBass · 03-13-2005, 05:55 PM

First off, let me start by saying that neither one is better than the other. It's all personal preference.

Tube Amps; These are amps that use all tubes in the preamp and power amp sections. A preamp and power amp tube (or valve) is an electronic device that takes a signal and amplifies it. Pre amp tubes amplify the signal to a level used by the power amp tube. The power amp tube amplifies the signal so it can be fed to a speaker and heard by millions. They require an output transformer to match the impedance of the output of the tube to the speaker impedance. Depending on the wattage, these can be big and heavy.

In order to work, tubes have to be heated so the electrons move and amplify. I'm not going to get to technical here.

Sound...Tube amps tend to have a warm sound and yield a sweet distortion when they distort.

Disadvantages...Heavy, Use more electricity, Tubes need to be replaced and are expensive, More susceptable to the elements (never turn on a tube amp right after it came in from the cold), More fragile (tubes don't like to be banged around.

Solid State; These are amps that use transistors to amplify the sound. They don't require the output transformer and extra heater circuitry that tube amps need. This means that they are usually lighter for the same power output. A transistor does pretty much the same thing a tube does. It takes a signal and amplifies it. It just does it in a different way. They tend to be more reliable than tube amps and can take more abuse. They also use less electricity to yield the same power output.

Sound...Most solid state amps tend to have a more HiFi sterile sound and need a more complex tone circuit. Some companies use Field Effect Transistors (FET) in the power amp stages. These tend to give a more tube amp sound since a FET amplifies in a way similar to a tube amp.

Disadvantages....No user servicable parts. Harsher distortion (when they do distort)

Hybrid Amps; These are a combination of tubes and solid state circuitry. Usually they have a tube preamp and a solid state power amp sections. This way you get the warm sound of a tube amp with the reliability of solid state amps.

I hope this helps a bit.

Pastorius · 03-13-2005, 06:02 PM

Cool.

I'll try and get my head round that lot now.

Thanks JP! Which do you use?

NavyBass · 03-13-2005, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pastorius

Cool.

I'll try and get my head round that lot now.

Thanks JP! Which do you use?

Both. My Traynor YBA 4 is a tube amp and my Peavey Bass Head is solid state.

Pastorius · 03-13-2005, 06:08 PM

Bastard.

It's going to be years until I have to make a decision anyway.

gaslight · 03-14-2005, 06:03 AM

Nice, thanks for that. My Ibanez amp is a solid state but I've used hybrids before at gigs.

Radiobass81 · 03-21-2005, 07:06 AM

Nice.

You left out Digital, but seeing as there are only 2 brands doing digital bass amps (to my knowledge)

...

exit · 03-21-2005, 09:17 AM

^^ Line6 and ?

03-21-2005, 09:22 AM

i love how you say niether is better than the other, yet in your description of solid state "sound" you say that makers of solid state amps use complex circutry to emulate a tube amps tone....

the only advantages i see in solid state is reliability and money. when it comes to amps, i dont sacrifice tone for either of those. its kind of like bringing a honda accord ex to a drag race, yes, its reliable, and cheap, but it isnt gunna keep up with the drag cars.

edgebass5 · 03-21-2005, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schwarzenegger4Prez

i love how you say niether is better than the other, yet in your description of solid state "sound" you say that makers of solid state amps use complex circutry to emulate a tube amps tone....

If you think about what you just argued, you didn't really say anything. All he said was that solid state amps are designed to emulate the tone of a tube amp. That's simply because the tube amp was created before the solid state amp and therefore the initial designs for solid state amps were based around the tone created by the original tube amps. Think first, complain second.

JP: One thing of note is the different types of hybrid amps. Some companies will simply stick a tube (or tubes) in the gain stage (Fender, SWR, etc.) whereas other companies will have a full tube preamp that drives a solid state power section, typically a MOSFET power section (Mesa, Aguilar, Eden, etc.).

Pastorius: LOVE the Hulk avatar

edgebass5 · 03-21-2005, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by exit

^^ Line6 and ?

Roland. If you want to consider preamps as well you could include Digitech and Behringer as well.

British Kid · 03-21-2005, 12:20 PM

I'm looking for a hybrid head. what do i look for in the description to tell if its all tube or hybrid? are there certain words or acronyms to look for? i haven't seen the word hybrid in any descriptions but maybe I wasn't looking at the right product.

03-21-2005, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edgebass5

If you think about what you just argued, you didn't really say anything. All he said was that solid state amps are designed to emulate the tone of a tube amp. That's simply because the tube amp was created before the solid state amp and therefore the initial designs for solid state amps were based around the tone created by the original tube amps. Think first, complain second.

that is one of the reasons, but the main reason is because tube amps have a sweeter tone which is more sought after. Tube tone is vastly superior, and a solid state amp with emulating circutry is a cheaper way to try to acheive this tone.

edgebass5 · 03-21-2005, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schwarzenegger4Prez

but the main reason is because tube amps have a sweeter tone which is more sought after. Tube tone is vastly superior

Opinion, opinion, opinion. For instance, I would take a solid state Thunderfunk or Gallien-Krueger (2001RB) head over an all-tube SVT Classic anyday, simply because in my opinion they have a better tone than that particular all-tube amp. Not all tube amps are created equal, nor are solid state, digital or hybrid amps.

NavyBass · 03-21-2005, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schwarzenegger4Prez

i love how you say niether is better than the other, yet in your description of solid state "sound" you say that makers of solid state amps use complex circutry to emulate a tube amps tone....

the only advantages i see in solid state is reliability and money. when it comes to amps, i dont sacrifice tone for either of those. its kind of like bringing a honda accord ex to a drag race, yes, its reliable, and cheap, but it isnt gunna keep up with the drag cars.

I can name some solid state amps that can blow tube amps out of the water as far as tone and power.

Please don't try to start a Tube is better argument in this thread. It wasn't written to do that. I wrote it just to give a little insight into the differences.

Also, PLEASE READ MY POST. I never said that the complex tone circuitry was there to emulate tube sound. Also, I said that FET's sound a bit like tubes, not that they emulated tubes. Please don't put words that were NEVER there into my post. Thank you.

BTW, your race car analogy was pointless. The reason being is if you consider the more powerful amp as the drag car, then solid state amps definately have the edge there. Have you ever seen a 1000 watt all tube amp? They aren't that common, but 1000+ watt solid state amps are all over the place.

nrcafootball68 · 03-21-2005, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schwarzenegger4Prez

i love how you say niether is better than the other, yet in your description of solid state "sound" you say that makers of solid state amps use complex circutry to emulate a tube amps tone....

the only advantages i see in solid state is reliability and money. when it comes to amps, i dont sacrifice tone for either of those. its kind of like bringing a honda accord ex to a drag race, yes, its reliable, and cheap, but it isnt gunna keep up with the drag cars.

i'll take a high quality solid state amp over a cheaply made tube amp any day. not all tube amps are created equal

edit: whoa, i just basically said the exact same thing as edgebass

Radiobass81 · 03-21-2005, 04:12 PM

Line 6 makes bass amps? Wow...

Well then, 3 brands.

Roland, Line 6, and Yamaha (my new favorite makers of stack

)

exit · 03-21-2005, 04:31 PM

lol
i thought line6 was the most known of digital technology

edgebass5 · 03-21-2005, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Radiobass81

Line 6 makes bass amps? Wow...

Well then, 3 brands.

Roland, Line 6, and Yamaha (my new favorite makers of stack

)

You know, you're right, I don't think Line 6 makes any bass amps, and I completely forgot about Yamaha's digital stuff.

NavyBass · 03-21-2005, 05:15 PM

There's a thing with Digital technology, they're not using it to actually amplify, they're just using it to shape tone.

My post was meant as an amplifier post, not a tone shaping circuit post.

edgebass5 · 03-21-2005, 05:30 PM

^^^Good point, the digital in question would just be the preamp wouldn't it. From there it would go to a solid state power section.

03-13-2005, 05:55 PM	#1
NavyBass Registered User Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 4,197	Solid state and tube amps First off, let me start by saying that neither one is better than the other. It's all personal preference. Tube Amps; These are amps that use all tubes in the preamp and power amp sections. A preamp and power amp tube (or valve) is an electronic device that takes a signal and amplifies it. Pre amp tubes amplify the signal to a level used by the power amp tube. The power amp tube amplifies the signal so it can be fed to a speaker and heard by millions. They require an output transformer to match the impedance of the output of the tube to the speaker impedance. Depending on the wattage, these can be big and heavy. In order to work, tubes have to be heated so the electrons move and amplify. I'm not going to get to technical here. Sound...Tube amps tend to have a warm sound and yield a sweet distortion when they distort. Disadvantages...Heavy, Use more electricity, Tubes need to be replaced and are expensive, More susceptable to the elements (never turn on a tube amp right after it came in from the cold), More fragile (tubes don't like to be banged around. Solid State; These are amps that use transistors to amplify the sound. They don't require the output transformer and extra heater circuitry that tube amps need. This means that they are usually lighter for the same power output. A transistor does pretty much the same thing a tube does. It takes a signal and amplifies it. It just does it in a different way. They tend to be more reliable than tube amps and can take more abuse. They also use less electricity to yield the same power output. Sound...Most solid state amps tend to have a more HiFi sterile sound and need a more complex tone circuit. Some companies use Field Effect Transistors (FET) in the power amp stages. These tend to give a more tube amp sound since a FET amplifies in a way similar to a tube amp. Disadvantages....No user servicable parts. Harsher distortion (when they do distort) Hybrid Amps; These are a combination of tubes and solid state circuitry. Usually they have a tube preamp and a solid state power amp sections. This way you get the warm sound of a tube amp with the reliability of solid state amps. I hope this helps a bit.

03-13-2005, 06:02 PM	#2
Pastorius BEAT KIDS Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Bristol Posts: 19,949	Cool. I'll try and get my head round that lot now. Thanks JP! Which do you use?
	Digging: Cornelius - Point

03-13-2005, 06:08 PM	#4
Pastorius BEAT KIDS Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Bristol Posts: 19,949	Bastard. It's going to be years until I have to make a decision anyway.
	Digging: Cornelius - Point

03-21-2005, 12:20 PM	#11
British Kid In Soviet Russia... Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: near food and water Posts: 3,534	I'm looking for a hybrid head. what do i look for in the description to tell if its all tube or hybrid? are there certain words or acronyms to look for? i haven't seen the word hybrid in any descriptions but maybe I wasn't looking at the right product.
	Digging: Kylie Minogue - X

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03-14-2005, 06:03 AM	#5
gaslight Some place better Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Sydney Posts: 27,518	Nice, thanks for that. My Ibanez amp is a solid state but I've used hybrids before at gigs.

03-21-2005, 07:06 AM	#6
Radiobass81 El Cartero de Neruda Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Puerto Rico Posts: 19,425	Nice. You left out Digital, but seeing as there are only 2 brands doing digital bass amps (to my knowledge) ...

03-21-2005, 09:17 AM	#7
exit The Hard Goodbye Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Waregem, Belgium Posts: 819	^^ Line6 and ?

03-21-2005, 09:22 AM	#8
Schwarzenegger4Prez Guest Posts: n/a	i love how you say niether is better than the other, yet in your description of solid state "sound" you say that makers of solid state amps use complex circutry to emulate a tube amps tone.... the only advantages i see in solid state is reliability and money. when it comes to amps, i dont sacrifice tone for either of those. its kind of like bringing a honda accord ex to a drag race, yes, its reliable, and cheap, but it isnt gunna keep up with the drag cars.

03-21-2005, 04:12 PM	#16
Radiobass81 El Cartero de Neruda Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Puerto Rico Posts: 19,425	Line 6 makes bass amps? Wow... Well then, 3 brands. Roland, Line 6, and Yamaha (my new favorite makers of stack )

03-21-2005, 04:31 PM	#17
exit The Hard Goodbye Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Waregem, Belgium Posts: 819	lol i thought line6 was the most known of digital technology

03-21-2005, 05:15 PM	#19
NavyBass Registered User Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 4,197	There's a thing with Digital technology, they're not using it to actually amplify, they're just using it to shape tone. My post was meant as an amplifier post, not a tone shaping circuit post.

03-21-2005, 05:30 PM	#20
edgebass5 overpriced trendy garbage Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 10,609	^^^Good point, the digital in question would just be the preamp wouldn't it. From there it would go to a solid state power section.