FUQ (eff -yu - cue) - FAQ's with an EDGE

Tagged As: Vacuum Tube Amps

Question:
I have always wondered this - if tube amps sound better than solid state amps, how was it that the market was basically taken over by solid-state amps from the mid-sixties on, and tube amps died a quick death. I know plenty of audiophiles who love their huge Sansui transistorized amps. What do the rest of you think?

Answer:
Probably an easy question to answer. Very simply. Everyone who is an audio enthusiast has a tendency to always go higher in power, lower in distortion. In the case of transistor amps, these levels can be attained quite easily in less space and for less cost. So, needless to say, the popularity of transistors skyrocketed. It was only later on that certain amounts of 2nd order harmonic distortion (or even harmonics in general) seem to flow with the music and give it more body and fullness. This is what now makes people eat up all those tube amps! The effect is most pronounced with triode amplifiers. But if you look at the cost factor of a transitor made amplifier made in Hong Kong and that of an American made tube amp of let's say 1/10 the power, the tube amp will always cost twice to 10 times as much. However, knowing what tubes can do for your sound, it is well worth the cost. Besides, in the strive for overpower dominance, you will soon come to realize that the average listener will never crank up the volume past the 20watt marker. You got a house party? Maybe 50 or 60 watts. Most tube amps under 100 watts can even be made afforablely today if you have the know how.