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What SS do you think comes closest to tubes?

In jest I will say a Thomas Organ/Vox amplifier... =) The FET transistors did a pretty good job of simulating a tube (guitar) amp...if they managed not to go up in flames... =O

Though, Tom Petty still does use them...
 
Carver M1.5t.. Because it was voiced the same as a tube amp (Mark Levinson ML2).


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SoCal Sam said:
True, two amps can sound the same but two is not a sufficient sample to proclaim all solid state amps sound the same.
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As far as I can tell, from the three sources I cited, none of them stated the amps had to be SS.

And I've been through far more than two amps since the second one.
 
no idea where the thread is at at this point.. anyhow, OP: i think balanced audio technology does a superb job.

the balanced audio technology vk-20 series and vk-40 series preamps which are solid-state were designed to sound as close as possible to their tube preamp models, vk-30 series and vk-50 series. i have owned a vk-20 for a few months now, and the vk-30 (tube preamp) i purchased arrived today. so far i am very happy with it but have to admit it does sound very similar to the vk-20 solid state model. this vk-30 has 6x JJ's Tesla Gold-Pin E88CC (6922) tubes in it. so i think, in response to the OP, yes solid state preamps can sound like tube preamps. however, i dont believe you will get the same flexibility of a tube with solid state due to tube-rolling availability.
 
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Sansui: AU-X1111 MOS Vintage.

Never heard one... but that amp sounds like tubes.

I'd love to have a 'perfect' AU-X1111 MOS Vintage. A guy can dream!

(I'm happy with my AU-X901 'Vintage'.)

:)
 
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Rather than get into 'less filling' - 'tastes great' conversation..... ;)

I listen to tube amps. I prefer tube amps. I do not care if others do not. Each to his/her own.

Were I faced with a 'can't have any more tube amps' scenerio, I would gravitate toward the Yamaha B2, Mac 2505, 2105 (and their non-metered brethren) and, if I could find them, the Pass Stasis amps. The Nak Stasis amp is almost as good.

YMMV.....
 
Not enough hair whipping to quote " Al Bundy" but in the end I enjoyed the fact that a Hafler amp was mentioned ! Any comments on where a Hafler DH-500 ranks amongst all the Haflers and whether or not it might fit the bill in respect to the post ? Just enjoying mine and yeah I'm just looking for warm fuzzies because I need to get to bed and am having a hard time going upstairs ! It's my first night listening to it & my Infinity RSIIs .... What a joy !
 
"What SS do you think comes closest to tubes?"
I'm not sure. I don't know.
I'm guessing that a transformer coupled SS amplifier would sound closest to a transformer coupled tube.

But a phono preamp, yes I made that SS close-to-tube-sounding preamp.

This question might help to answer the former question.
"What tube amp do you think comes closest to SS?"
Probably a direct coupled tube amplifier would sound closest to direct coupled SS.

It's the current, not the voltage that makes a tube amp a tube amp most of people associate with if one is using moving coil speaker.
F = B * I * L
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/magnetic/forwir.html

:banana::banana::banana:
 
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I have a tube output and a ss output on the back of my grant fidelity tube dac 11. So I can hook up one speaker to ss and the other side tubed. That difference between the 2 is so very slight it's a toss up. Unless of course the listener knows the tubed side is playing so it just plain has to sound better:scratch2:.
 
Any of the early solid-state Sansui amps and receivers... 1000x, 2000x, 2000, 2000a 3000, 4000, 5000x, 7000, AU-555a and it's brethren, etc... Basically anything they might while Khosaku Kikuchi was still running the company.

Any of the early solid-state Scott models... Sherwood too

Still, it's hard to think about solid-state gear when I'm listening to my Fisher 800C... Not only is it a perfect match for my W90's, it also has a killer headphone output that really wakes up my Grado RSII's and smoothes them out.
 
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Stuart Pedaso said:
That's what the staff at Stereophile said when they took on the Carver Challenge.

Bob convinced them otherwise. :D
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Stuart Pedaso said:
That wasn't the point of the challenge. Bob claimed that he could tweak his amp to sound identical to any other (be it tube or solid state). That very claim suggests the premise that different amps do in fact sound inherently different.

Stereophile just happened to select a tube amp (Conrad-Johnson Premier Four), hoping the difference was vast enough to guarantee Bob's failure.
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canuckaudiog said:
Carver M1.5t.. Because it was voiced the same as a tube amp (Mark Levinson ML2).


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Click to expand...

Yes and yes and yes. Dr. Robert Carver nailed it. :thmbsp:
 
Agreed on Carver... He's been criticized for selling too much of the sizzle, but he sure knows how to make the bacon.

Also, anything with a V-FET - I swear I can see the music when my Yamaha B-2's a driving my speakers.
 
I prefer the SQ of the homespun 3116/Astron over the push pull tube amps I've had ( Scott, ST70, Fisher etc. ). It competes directly with some of the less expensive SET amps.

P3220030.jpg
 
What ever makes one happy :-) However I retain *serious doubts* re a Chinese Ebay 'amp'
Been there .. was fully Fooled although in fairness I received Exactly the quality I paid for.. Very little to none.
Buy Cheap - buy twice, or even worse: Repeatedly
 
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canuckaudiog said:
Carver M1.5t.. Because it was voiced the same as a tube amp (Mark Levinson ML2).


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Click to expand...

The Levinson ML-2 is a Class A SS amp. I believe the amp that Carver based the mods and subsequent T series amps on was a Conrad Johnson Premier.
 
bare said:
What ever makes one happy :-) However I retain *serious doubts* re a Chinese Ebay 'amp'
Click to expand...


Poultrygeist has a good 'ear' - I would trust his judgement, just keep in mind tube amps sound different from one to another. So there is no one 'tube sound'
 
IMO, the Carver challenge was an indictment against making absolute judgements in audio based on short term blind listening, as longer term listening showed.
For gross differences, fine. The results also show the results may be transitory in the individual amps on an absolute basis.
I had a Carver, good sound iirc but quirky with vigorous turn-off thumping. Long gone now, an aquaintance "borrowed" it ca 20 years ago with a Hafler DH-101and disappeared.

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