Are vacuum tubes worth it?

[fatwillie]

I'm a builder of boutique guitar amplifiers - been doing it for quite awhile. (As a matter of fact, I build a model called "The Nipper, " a 16-watter with a 10" speaker.) A guitar amplifier is actually only a part of the instrument known as the electric guitar, and it has its own characteristics to add to the total package. For the guitar, "accurate reproduction" is not the goal, since there is no "playback" of recorded material involved, but rather the production of music in realtime. Amps with all-tube signal paths have been the standard since dirt was rocks and Moby Dick was only a sardine. Guitar amps are routinely operated beyond their specifications, i.e., driven into distortion. The effects which come into play inside a magnetically saturated output transformer are *desirable, * and aren't "designed out" of guitar amps like they are in tube hi-fi equipment. Mr. McGowan is absolutely right - tubes should be used where their characteristics produce the desired results - and so should solid-state devices. There is a reason why beat-to-death 50+ year-old Fender guitar amps sell for danger money, and that reason is TONE. If you have a favorite guitar player, chances are pretty good he uses a tube amplifier. (For instance, Eric Clapton, Derek Trucks, Joe Bonamassa, Warren Haynes, John Mayer, Jimi Hendrix...a pretty well endless list.) Guitarists actually "play" the amplifier by controlling how much distortion is added to the tone, varying this in realtime by operating the guitar's controls and changing the pick angle and force sometimes several times in a second. Feedback - done on purpose - is also a desirable characteristic in a tube amplifier. Transistor amps don't do any of this very well, and that's why many *experienced* players don't use them. Yes, there are digital emulations of "classic" designs, but they sound like, well...emulations. Close, but no cigar. I'm not an engineer, and I'll be the first to admit that I know damn little about "high-end audio." I figure if it kicks ass and no smoke comes out of it, I did it right. ;-)

[krismichalsky]

I told folks for years that a "hybrid" amplifier (containing both tube and solid state devices) will be your best sounding audio equipment, If it was designed properly to begin with. Not all tube amps or even hybrid tube amps are made the same, they are far from. I've heard some tube set ups that just didn't sound right, and some setups that will blow you away. I prefer the warm sound of the tubes versus solid state only....

[trentsteel]

Learnt so much over the last few years watching Paul, grazie .

[J_Braz_]

I just got my first tube amp last month. A Marshall dsl20 head. Pretty cool. I had been using line6 spider amps for years. The sound the tubes make is undescribable.

[spotmfd]

Every professional, semi-professional or just good guitar player knows that the best guitar amplifiers have tube power sections. Unlike like regular amps we want that grit and imperfection. It is what makes guitar amps great and why guitar players pay 2k and up for an all tube(pre-amp, power section and rectifier) hand built guitar amplifier.

[peterbaugh]

Tube preamp, into your favorite power amp. Done. None better. Period. Hifi equipment without some tubes is just a huge waste of money. I play and record real live music. I will not have a stereo without at least a tube preamp. Record and mix with transistors. Good. Listen and enjoy with tubes. Great. Works for me!

[scottymurk]

Solid state or hybrid guitar amps sound great till you put the real deal next to them. Tubes rule!

[runetech]

And then we have the pure joy of tube-rolling. It's so satisfying finding good old NOS tubes that sounds so different than the original tubes, and sometimes undoubtedly improving the sound, and sometimes not. But when it does work out, it is so satisfying... Just to have that capability just within the device itself is sort of comforting. I don't have to buy whole new gear to change the sound, just tinker a little. And I haven't even ever used a tube power amp. Just pre-amps and RIAA-stages and the like.

[Buddycoop]

I love my tube Decware system. The first time I realized the difference was the Van Halen catalog. I had read that VH and VH2 were recorded on tube equipment. I also read that Eddies' home studio was originally built with an old tube system and used on the album 1984. Then Eddie yanked it out and went all solid state for the album 5150. I didn't know this but remember buying 5150 on lp and thinking "why does this sound so polished and blah unlike 1984?" Now I know the reason why, tubes.

[BryanTorok]

When I was growing up, tubes were on their way out and nobody was really sorry to see them go. The goal was to reproduce sound sound as accurately as possible without adding, subtracting, or coloring the music, to get as close to the live performance as possible. Then, if it was necessary to tune the response (or even to adjust for taste) there were bass, sometimes midrange, and treble controls. If one wanted to get crazy, one could get a graphic equalizer with up 19 frequency bands.

When I started out, there was Hi-Fi, then came stereo, then stereo with a middle channel, then quadraphonic, then surround sound 5.1 and THX. Still, the idea was to make one feel like they were in a live music venue, whether a concert hall or a smaller setting like a pub.

Somewhat later, there was the shift from analog (vinyl) to digital (compact disc) and later compact disc with compression (mp3, etc.). With enough bits, a high enough sampling rate, and really good quality (low phase shift) ADC and DAC, it is impossible to tell the difference by ear (except for the LACK of the noise and distortion inherent in vinyl) and nearly impossible to tell even with electronic measurement devices.

So, now you all want to go back to having coloration to the music that for decades we were trying to get rid and spending thousands of dollars to do so. I can't help but be amused. Get a high end solid state amp and DAC, add a control board with parametric EQ and adjustable attack, delay, and reverb and you can color your sound any way you like it.

[genez]

There is no such thing as "which is better." Its personal. Its what makes you feel better while listening. Some will actually feel better knowing that a certain distortion level is .0001. For me? Tube preamp, Class D amplifier. For you? Find out. Make a few mistakes along the way to discover what fits you the best. We are here to learn what? What the differences are, and what choices exist. Thanks, Paul for your lessons which are excellent.

[Tykxon]

Wooooww Lyon ?!! Damn I never thought that I'd hear about my city in a non-french video 😁

[co]

Came for the advice and stayed for the coolest desk I’ve seen! What a cool dude he is. You can tell not only he knows his stuff but the passion he has for it!
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[jimmysparks]

You didn't mention that whether or not they're 'better' or 'worse'... some people like me just prefer tube sound.. and the fact I like seeing all the tubes light up ... maybe the benefit is just placebo... I don't care... I love the whole tube experience....

[chrislauck]

Hi Sir, I've learned so many things watching your videos. I'm new to hi res audio and just purchased my first DAC/AMP and headphones. You've helped me understand how it all works and I just can't stop watching and learning all this stuff. Thanks so much!

[roundsrapid]

This is a question for the ages. It’s like asking “Vinyl or CD?” Ask 5 people and you’ll get 8 opinions!

[profd]

Solid state has its particular applications. Quilters sound great for jazz. JC120's sound great for squeaky clean stuff--the Smiths, for example. But tube amps sound good/great doing anything.

[fabieneldridge]

Paul you are right about reverb in tubes. Remember years ago that Pioneer made a tube room helper, I forgot what you call it but I still have one somewhere. You hook it up to your stereo and it gives the music a much fuller sound ! They made several variations of it. I’d love to hear what you think about these music pieces as they do work. I can remember in High School my friend had a Kenwood stereo with a pair of Klipsch shop made speakers with one of those hooked up and I always was so impressed with what it would do to his little stereo. It brought it to life ! It was nothing without that Pioneer hooked up. Anyway just remembering things we all did for the Music ! Keep up the educational videos !

[nathanpratt]

My favorite thing about older tech is just how customizable it is

And also how it might not work perfectly but it'll always going to try

[colinvannbohemen]

in truth, there is no substitute for what a WELL DESIGNED valve amplifier can offer an audiophile. it's ability to create a three dimensional soundstage is simply uncanny, and unachievable by merely having a valve pre and "FET" transistor output stage. if you want the gain, you have to accept the pain (and fact) that a tube is much like a light globe and bears a similar fate, yet for all its physical (or electronic) misgivings, its sonic signature is unparalleled.