BillFitzmaurice.info

escapemcp wrote: I'm off to Google "How valve amps work" now - certainly better than doing any work today.

Try this one: http://lenardaudio.com/education/14_valve_amps_2.html

That is an accurate, well written article.

Mr. foxen wrote: "what they think they are doing that 'improves their tone' [covers their playing], means a great deal of wrong info is on the internet about them.

This is very true. There's a few generations of tinkerers that have just enough knowledge to be dangerous. Numerous websites are devoted to capacitor and resistor "upgrades", often choosing components by what color epoxy they were dipped with, and little else besides anecdotal opinions.

It sort of reminds me of some old druggies from the 60's: "Hey man, try some of them there orange ones, they're a wild trip!"

As an ironical paradox, most of these experimenters covet unmodified, pristine classic amplifiers from the 50's and 60's.

Tom Smit wrote:

escapemcp wrote: I'm off to Google "How valve amps work" now - certainly better than doing any work today.

Try this one: http://lenardaudio.com/education/14_valve_amps_2.html

Hmm, if distortion doesn't belong, then valves don't belong. Their non-linearity is all of their value in a world where good transistors exist.

Tubes sound better. Period!

All amplifiers have distortion. I built a pair of 300b single ended tube amps. The distortion is an octave lower so you do not hear it. And while test equipment can find the distortion the ear only perceives sonic perfection. The amps are completely transparent.

sd_hensley wrote:All amplifiers have distortion. I built a pair of 300b single ended tube amps. The distortion is an octave lower so you do not hear it. And while test equipment can find the distortion the ear only perceives sonic perfection. The amps are completely transparent.

Octave lower than what?

If they are completely transparent, what's the point of using valves instead of way easier transparent SS stuff?