Why do tubes sound different than transistors?

[MrMinathecat]

I was a Hi-Fi snob. But some time ago I realized I was listening more and enjoying it less. I envied people who had what I considered crap systems, but who got great enjoyment out of listening. I had my moment of truth; I was chasing my tail, I wasn't listening to MUSIC anymore, I was listening to THE EQUIPMENT! That's two different things. The whole point is the enjoyment of music. It's one thing if your equipment is defective, but does one need to spend$5, 000, $10, 000, $20, 000 or more before they can start enjoying music? Don't get me wrong, of course I would love to have that $50, 000+ system with a room to match. I'm just saying, don't get lost, and don't miss the point of all this, which is THE ENJOYMENT OF MUSIC.

[BobDiaz]

Yes they are different, BUT you never got to the WHY they sound different.

[its]

_Why_?

"They sound different because they are different." you say. That's awful close to a tautology. Not at all a why.

A bunch of it is surely output transformers. Those things are non-linear as hell.

[bobzwol]

Thanks for posting this Paul. Much appreciated. Both you and I are men of a certain age. I am a vacuum-tube enthusiast. I have a few vintage-1962 Dynaco ST-70's and a few Dynaco PAS-3 preamps that I've kept alive for 40+ years. Thanks again for your expert explanation of tubes vs. transistors.

[ElectronicYouth]

Listening to tubes is like pouring honey in your ears.

[ProjectOverseer]

Yes, they sound different, but "different" doesn't necessarily mean better. In fact the coloration added by Tubes (pleasant or not) is often referred to as "good distortion"
Tubes are used in the recording studio too. Some microphones use Tubes to warm the sound. And Jazz & Blues guitarist use Tubes for the sound they produce when over driven. I'm going to kick my own ass for saying this, but Tubes can make certain digital recordings sound better to our ears, BUT it greatly depends on what's being recorded.

[halbertking]

3 different brands of the same tube sound different .

[louishamilton]

TRUTH to tell, they LOOK cool. Something nostalgic about that warm glow makes me feel good.

[cristinavekos]

Two reasons tubes sound different, one is soft saturation, tubes can operate into a long saturation curve, two is that output is "almost" always through a transformer with hysteriesis distortion.
When newer fet amps are designed to sound like a tube amp these "distortions" are programmed into the design.

[rutrho]

Save 10 minutes of your life, the big answer in this video comes right at the end. Tubes sound different than transistors because they are different. Yep, that is the big takeaway from this ten minute video...oh, that and the aquarium and shit.

[adelinomorte]

Amplifiers with tubes do not sound better unless you compare a High fidelity tube amplifier with a cheap solid state amplifier or you have a distorted way of listening the sound with a lot of nostalgia. The fact is, for the same frequency response band 20 to 20khz +or- 1 db 20 watts, into the same speakers in the the same room, you can evaluate the difference in the sound, it is the same but the equipment will be smaller and more efficient solid state vs. tubes, make the test as I have done decades ago.

[joeshmoe]

Tubes amplify using transformers and much higher voltage. Transistors leak. Yes, the longer a transistor is on the more unwanted electrons are also amplified.

[PapaWheelie]

No one is gonna bring it up?

Change your smoke detector battery!


I can hear it on my cheap ass iPhone speaker

[xjohn]

Tubes sound better and feel better to the guitar players fingers. It the way the guitar feels when played. Why does tubes feel better than solid state?

[tedbyron]

I've been waiting 25 years for that, lol. I really appreciate it. That was the simplest, most concise explanation of valves vs solid state I've heard.
To the guy who dosent understand how it effects sound: remember that voltage = PSI (roughly) running at higher voltages creates a higher share of linearity for the signal. The more linearity, the more headroom. More headroom allows for broader soundstage (x&y), faster reactions to peaks and lows, it adds some warmth (although a good SS amp that's good and warm and running in the meat of it's powerband is hard to beat)
and definitely "puts less strain" on the signal b/c of the exponentiated section of linearity on offer to the signal.

[buckrogers]

Thanks for this. I just came across two young tube enthusiasts in my neighbourhood building their own preamps. I'm an RF/CE engineer and was heartened to see young people getting "hands-on" in this age of buy and throw away. I believe the sound difference is in the even octaves only that is found in tubes, whereas the transistors let thru both odd and even harmonics. There's a music theory that says even harmonics makes a pleasant sound, why some music tunes are more appealing than others.

[delgoogle]

"This tube VS transistor debate will go on and on for ever! I am 61 years old and grown up in that transition from tubes to transistors. My 7th grade science project back in 1968 was comparing tubes to transistors in audio amplifiers and I made it state competition! Although my project was centered around the mechanics more than the sound, I will admit there is fairly determinable difference in the perceived sound between the two. Transistor amps are very "straight forward" in the quality of audio output. As long as it's not clipping, the signal hitting the speakers is pretty much a clone of the input, just stronger. That's one reason an audiophile may say the trans amp sounds hard, harsh, gritty, etc. On the other hand, tube amps have the natural ability to "smooth" things over. Soften the blows, add those sweet sounding harmonics that gives the sound a flavorful pleasantness audiophiles and guitarists love. Reason? Just the way a tube circuit works has a lot to do with it. The output transformer that pretty much is mandatory in a tube amp plays a big part in producing that smooth warm sound. Remember, it's a magnetic field that is the medium used to couple the output tubes to your speaker! The magnetism sort of processes the sound in a way that actually distorts it, but in a way that is pleasing to the ear! Crazy, huh? BTW....This info is MY take on this. Generated from 50+ years toying with all kind of amps. Thanks for reading!"

*Just-cross-posting* I liked what he had to share, so sharing here. -delgoogle

[andershammer]

Audio Research went back and forth between tubes and transistors in their amps and preamps and their tube designs were always better. Warmest sounding amp I have is a transistor amp made in Norway but it gets hot as a stove. Tubes don't really have a warm sound. But what they do have is a lack of that hard edge sound of alot of transistor amps have.Everything colors sound but tubes tend to sound more like the real thing.

[knoxpruett]

I think you should consider even vs. odd harmonics in tube vs. solid state systems.

[pwnmeisterage]

8:25 "anybody who will tell you that [three devices] ... running at the same [specified parameters] ... do not sound different because they don't _measure_ different ... is [wrong]"
You never did explain exactly how or why in detail. I'm still not sold on the argument that tubes > transistors.
But my focus is on the "measurement" itself. If instruments have finer precision and better resolution than the human ear ... and they "measure the same" ... then how can the things they measure "sound" different to the human ear?