Tube Amplifiers

[steveneddy]

Who likes and uses tube amplifiers?

Guitar amps

Hi-Fi amps

Radio transmitter amps

anyone?

[mips]

One day I will build a stereo amp for music, one day...

[steveneddy]

One day I will build a stereo amp for music, one day...

I build guitar tube amplifiers at this time - but on my design table I have plans for a surround sound amp that will accept speaker level out in from a regular receiver - like my favorite Sony surround amp - simply use the Sony for all of the switching and signal processing - and letting the tube amp do it's wonderfulness to the sound.

No master volume on the amp - but little trim pots on the rear to "tune" the amp to the room.

Of course - I would keep the powered sub self powered.

[Frogs Hair]

I have 1967 Fender Princeton and a later Fender Super 60 watt and both are tube powered. Nothing sounds as warm as tubes regardless of amplifier brand.

[ManamiVixen]

When it comes to sound, I believe you should use a component where it is needed and only where needed and nowhere else. With Tubes, I prefer them on bass amplifiers, sub-woofer systems, but transistors for high-treble and tweeters. Also when dealing with waveforms, sharp, crisp waves do best on transistors and dull, mellow waves on tubes.

[uc50_ic4more]

I have a 1964 (pre-CBS) Fender Bassman, a 1971 Ampeg B-15 and several tube mics and mic amps. Love 'em!

[PC_load_letter]

I have a guitar tube amp (Blackstar) but it's not getting too much use these days thanks to GuitarRig 5 :D I don't think GR is on the same quality but it's pretty close. My next amp will probably be the Kemper profiling amp, it's just mind boggling, watch this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk7GexV_TF0) to see what it does.

My office mate is a die hard audio tube amp aficionado, he owns several self-built headphone amps, he even has one at work.

[steveneddy]

I have a 1964 (pre-CBS) Fender Bassman, a 1971 Ampeg B-15 and several tube mics and mic amps. Love 'em!

Those are some really cool amps - what kind of mics are in your collection?

[lisati]

Some nice gear mentioned in this thread.

I haven't used a tube-based appliance for many years. Unless, of course, you count our TV, one of the last (if not the last) CRT-based TVs I recall seeing in our local shops.

[papibe]

I had a Fender Pro Re Reverb. I REALLY loved it.

I had to sell it when I moved to Texas :(

Both state solid and digital amps have come such a long way, that sometimes I forget and think there's no significant difference... until you hear a good tube amp again ;)

Best Regards.

PS: these days I'm playing on a small practice amp: 40 watts Vox Valvetronix.

[coldraven]

Back in 1987 or 88 I sold my Quad II rig in order to buy my first PC, I wish I still had it :(
The electrostatic speakers where awesome but you needed a large room because they had to be 3 feet away from the wall to get the bass to reflect properly.
The picture on Wikipedia is just of one channel, there was an identical amp for the other.
You would have to spend a big chunk of change to buy that system today.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quad_Electroacoustics

[mips]

Back in 1987 or 88 I sold my Quad II rig in order to buy my first PC, I wish I still had it :(
The electrostatic speakers where awesome but you needed a large room because they had to be 3 feet away from the wall to get the bass to reflect properly.
The picture on Wikipedia is just of one channel, there was an identical amp for the other.
You would have to spend a big chunk of change to buy that system today.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quad_Electroacoustics

Quad II you can build at home, speakers probably not.

[uc50_ic4more]

Those are some really cool amps - what kind of mics are in your collection?

I have a Neumann KM56 from 1960 and a couple of KM53's from around the same time period. I have a few Telefunken V72's that came, I believe, from an old East German radio broadcast console as well as some newer ART tube mic amps that intentionally starve the plate voltage to get some "toob" warmth. They're not bad; especially considering that they are the only item listed here not worth more than my car!

I should say, though, that by no small margin my favourite mics have no tubes in them at all: They are Stephen Sank modified ribbon mics. They're abhorrently delicate and therefore never get taken out of the studio (I do some remote recordings from time to time...) but they (ribbon mics in general) are head and shoulders above even the Neumanns in a lot of applications. They need loads and loads and loads of clean gain, though, which usually rules out tube mic amps. :^)

[TeamRocket1233c]

No tube amps, just solid state. Got a 3-yr-old Sony AV receiver for my amp. :lol: http://store.sony.com/p/STR-DH500/en/p/STRDH500

[Iowan]

My dusty, unused amateur radio station is a tube-type Drake B-line transmitter/receiver pair.
FWIW, my 1500W lasers at work use a solid-state tube.

Hoping to acquire a tube-type guitar amp someday...

[steveneddy]

I had a Fender Pro Re Reverb. I REALLY loved it.

I had to sell it when I moved to Texas :(

Both state solid and digital amps have come such a long way, that sometimes I forget and think there's no significant difference... until you hear a good tube amp again ;)

Best Regards.

PS: these days I'm playing on a small practice amp: 40 watts Vox Valvetronix.

We are in the Lewisville/McKinney area - we are about to start going to the jams again to test and show amps - find us on Facebook and friend us so you can keep up with us locally:

www.facebook.com/DeadwoodAmps

[HermanAB]

Hmm, tube amps are really only worth the trouble if you make the tubes yourself. Otherwise, there is no physical reason why you cannot build the exact same thing using MOSFETs.

However, for all you audiophiles, I have some wonderfully warm sounding low skin effect directional monster cables for sale...

[Frogs Hair]

Hmm, tube amps are really only worth the trouble if you make the tubes yourself. Otherwise, there is no physical reason why you cannot build the exact same thing using MOSFETs.

However, for all you audiophiles, I have some wonderfully warm sounding low skin effect directional monster cables for sale...


A number of amplifier companies tried marketing MOSFET guitar amplifiers and they never took off as a replacement for tubes although they are still in use . Weather they sound as good is subjective, but many guitar players want nothing to do with them . I owned a Fender solid state amplifier and it sounded much different than the tube amp I replaced it with and for me it was the right choice .

[steveneddy]

Hmm, tube amps are really only worth the trouble if you make the tubes yourself. Otherwise, there is no physical reason why you cannot build the exact same thing using MOSFETs.

Unfortunately there is a distinct and particular sound that can only be achieved with vacuum tubes.

It is easy to build a circuit that simply amplifies the sound - simple.

But to have a circuit that is actually part of the instrument - or that influences the sound is ways that solid state circuits cannot - is an experience that unless experienced personally - can never be duplicated.

Some get close - but there really is no substitute for well made tube amplifiers for guitar, bass, music recording and music play back in the home.

Vacuum tubes may seem old fashioned to some - but you can't get that sound without them.

[jockyburns]

Years ago I had a Marshall 100w head and Marshall 4x12" speaker cab. monstrous rig. I'm now saving up for a Matamp GT40.