Vintage valve/tube B&O vs Solid State B&O

Read an article, which very similar to other proponent articles, extols virtues of the valve/tube amplification over solid state amplification. For those that are fans of vintage B&O that used the glowing bottles what are your experiences? Is there something to the valve sound or does it even exist? Have you been able to enjoy the modern solid state equipment or does the older valve powered B&O gear have a draw to it and illuminate the music more? Where do you get your vintage tubes from when they die?

http://kenrockwell.com/audio/why-tubes-sound-better.htm

As Abraham Lincoln once said: "Don't believe everything you read on the Internet."

Cheers

-g

Perhaps I should expand on that statement a little and be a little less facetious...

- All audio devices distort the audio signal to some degree. (In other words, what you get out is not identical to what you put in.)

- The distortion that is produced by transistor-based devices has a general tendency to distort symmetrical audio signals symmetrically. Therefore, they will have a tendency to add odd-numbered harmonics to a sinusoidal waveform.

- The distortion that is produced by tube-based devices has a general tendency to distort symmetrical audio signals asymmetrically. Therefore they will have a tendency to add even-numbered harmonics to a sinusoidal waveform.

- It is more difficult to hear low-order even-numbered harmonics than a low-order odd-numbered harmonic when added to a sinusoidal waveform. (For example, if I play a sine tone with a pitch of "Concert A" (440 Hz) - the timbral effects of adding an E, one and a half octaves above this will be easier to perceive than if I added an A, one octave above this.

- Audio signals are rarely symmetrical (unless they're produced by a synthesiser which, as we know, all audio signals have been since 1982).

- The specific distortion characteristics of any audio device are specific to that device. So, looking at two devices and saying "the one that has tubes will sound better than the one that has transistors" is a conclusion that leaps across a very wide, and very deep chasm. It's like looking at two vehicles and saying that the one that has a gasoline engine will go faster than the one with the diesel engine, but ignoring the fact that it's a gasoline-powered ride-on lawn mower and a diesel-powered Le Mans race car. (As another example, the first photo in that article shows a tube-based amplifier - but two of the three large black cubic canisters on the left-hand side are output transformers. Why doesn't the author make any claims about how transformers in the audio signal are what makes the improvement?)

- Distortion, generally speaking, is what you don't want in an audio product - regardless of what type it is... (to be fair, this is also stated in that article - in the first half of the first sentence under "Recommendations" - although he comes off the rails again in the second half of the same sentence...)

So, the REAL answer to your question is "it depends". If you like the sound of one device more than the sound of another device, then that's the one you should use. However, it would be dangerous to predict preference based on one aspect of a device. It's rarely a good idea to have a one-dimensional answer to a multi-dimensional question. 

 

Cheers

-geoff

Valves produce more distortion but it is the type of distortion that people find sounds pleasant. I believe it is all to do with different harmonic distortion types. If you want accurate sound, valves are not the best way, especially vintage equipment. If you want to heat your house at the same time ....

D'oh! I forgot about the thermal effects of tube amplification - nice catch, Peter!

So, the correct answer is: The choice of tubes vs. transistors should be made based on local climate... Alaskans should use tubes, Jamaicans should use transistors.

This gives me an idea for Bluetooth-based tube-amplified winter headphones... Could be good in Montreal in February... For that warm sound...

Cheers

-g

Bless me father for I have sinned - I do have a valve headphone amplifier! Tim looked at it and reckons the valves are mainly for decoration and heating and that the solid state bit does all the important work! Also confess to not using it as I only use headphones with my iPod and I am not messing round with a large box and power cable!

Peter:

Bless me father for I have sinned - I do have a valve headphone amplifier!

Don't worry Peter. Just say 5 "Hail Shockley's" and you will be absolved of your 2nd-order indiscretions...

-g