Members companyman Posted June 24, 2011 Members Share Posted June 24, 2011 ...solidstate or tube? Or is the myth that tube watts are louder true? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members befey Posted June 24, 2011 Members Share Posted June 24, 2011 Watts measure power, not volume. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oinkbanana Posted June 24, 2011 Members Share Posted June 24, 2011 solid state RMS vs tube compressed RMS is why you'll hear a difference in volume imho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mlabbee Posted June 24, 2011 Members Share Posted June 24, 2011 What I've always heard, though I have no idea whether this is scientifically accurate, is that tube wattage is perceived as having more volume because tube amps distort more gently. So you can turn a tube amp much louder (i.e., well into the distortion zone) and it still sounds good, whereas solid state distortion is much more harsh (harder clipping I think), so it sounds bad at lower volumes, so you never turn it up as much . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members companyman Posted June 24, 2011 Author Members Share Posted June 24, 2011 hmmmm.....my Pathfinder 15r seemed to be as loud as my Goldtone GA-15. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mlabbee Posted June 24, 2011 Members Share Posted June 24, 2011 That's not surprising - I suspect that with a well-designed SS amp (as Voxs tend to be), the volumes are equivalent between SS and tube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members companyman Posted June 24, 2011 Author Members Share Posted June 24, 2011 your avatar always makes me smile^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gae86 Posted June 24, 2011 Members Share Posted June 24, 2011 crystal lettuce is where it's at Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members companyman Posted June 24, 2011 Author Members Share Posted June 24, 2011 way back in the early 80's, when I started playing I had a Peavey Bandit solidstate, that was a loud amp! Tubes have a touch sensitivity that can't be imitated, but I don't think the volume thing is true.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oinkbanana Posted June 24, 2011 Members Share Posted June 24, 2011 don't forget speaker efficency. a 4 watt amp with a very efficent speaker can easily be louder then a 40watt amp with a inefficient speaker... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cassette Posted June 24, 2011 Members Share Posted June 24, 2011 wat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members iamthearm Posted June 24, 2011 Members Share Posted June 24, 2011 show me a 100 watt solid state head that is as loud as any standard 100 watt tube head. all of the competitive (volume wise) SS heads that i know of are all 300 watters. randall vmax, marshall mode four, etc.. at least as far as perceived volume within a band situation i find that SS amps put out about half or 1/3 of the volume of a tube amp of equal wattage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members digital Posted June 24, 2011 Members Share Posted June 24, 2011 i used to have a marshall mosfett lead 100W.. one of those very flat tops... it was loud... but it went from quiet to loud on the volume knob from 0 - 2... it sounded decent from what i remember.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Reauchambeau Posted June 24, 2011 Members Share Posted June 24, 2011 toob watts iz moar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members solewheelin Posted June 24, 2011 Members Share Posted June 24, 2011 I don't know how to clarify this myth, but if you post a question like that here, you might not get the responses you're looking for. Try HCAF or maybe TGP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gorebuc Posted June 24, 2011 Members Share Posted June 24, 2011 As stated above, my Pathfinder isn't noticeably quieter than my AC15. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members companyman Posted June 24, 2011 Author Members Share Posted June 24, 2011 I don't know how to clarify this myth, but if you post a question like that here, you might not get the responses you're looking for. Try HCAF or maybe TGP. usually I am one of the dip{censored}s giving stupid answers, so far they responses have been quite cogent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members solewheelin Posted June 24, 2011 Members Share Posted June 24, 2011 usually I am one of the dip{censored}s giving stupid answers, so far they responses have been quite cogent. Who said dip{censored}? Just trying to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lolque? Posted June 24, 2011 Members Share Posted June 24, 2011 Watts measure power, not volume. This is correct.here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 What I've always heard, though I have no idea whether this is scientifically accurate, is that tube wattage is perceived as having more volume because tube amps distort more gently. So you can turn a tube amp much louder (i.e., well into the distortion zone) and it still sounds good, whereas solid state distortion is much more harsh (harder clipping I think), so it sounds bad at lower volumes, so you never turn it up as much . . . A solid state amp, when running within its limits, will be clean. When it hits the limit, it will clip - and in a very different way than a tube amp clips. A tube amp does indeed compress and clips more gradually. You get an increase in THD, but the ear can actually deal with a lot of distortion before stuff sounds "bad" - with solid state amps it's usually goes from "not distorting", and then you turn it up just a bit more and BAM - now it is. Badly. The bigger variable factor isn't "watts" as much as it is speakers and efficiency. You simply can't do a fair comparison between a 15W SS amp and a 15W tube amp without using the same speaker(s). You can't do it fairly without getting out your oscilloscope and looking at the waveforms and seeing when it starts to clip, and actually taking the time to measure the output. At least not if you're trying to be fair and accurate. Here - read this: http://www.harmonycentral.com/docs/DOC-1951 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members companyman Posted June 24, 2011 Author Members Share Posted June 24, 2011 Who said dip{censored}? Just trying to help. I did. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members companyman Posted June 24, 2011 Author Members Share Posted June 24, 2011 A solid state amp, when running within its limits, will be clean. When it hits the limit, it will clip - and in a very different way than a tube amp clips. A tube amp does indeed compress and clips more gradually. You get an increase in THD, but the ear can actually deal with a lot of distortion before stuff sounds "bad" - with solid state amps it's usually goes from "not distorting", and then you turn it up just a bit more and BAM - now it is. Badly. The bigger variable factor isn't "watts" as much as it is speakers and efficiency. You simply can't do a fair comparison between a 15W SS amp and a 15W tube amp without using the same speaker(s). You can't do it fairly without getting out your oscilloscope and looking at the waveforms and seeing when it starts to clip, and actually taking the time to measure the output. At least not if you're trying to be fair and accurate. Here - read this: http://www.harmonycentral.com/docs/DOC-1951 Thanks Phil! Yeah solidstate distortion is harsh to my ears....but I play mostly clean, and with a bit of OD from a pedal...not a high gain guy or fuzz person for the most part. Speaker efficiency is a huge factor I know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Moustache_Bash Posted June 24, 2011 Members Share Posted June 24, 2011 Sooooo, I hear tubes "sound waves" or whatever sound like an actual wave, like an S but sideways. Whereas solidstate is like, IIIII IIIIIIII I I II I I II IIIIIII IIIII, and so on. And because of this tubes sound better when clipping. What I want to know is why stompboxes sound alright. Is it just because they are not clipping transistors, therefore it doesn't have that angular wave? EDIT: Aw, poop. My example of what the wave is suppose to look like didn't work out. SO just imagine a square wave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mlabbee Posted June 24, 2011 Members Share Posted June 24, 2011 your avatar always makes me smile^ Thanks - me too. That's the younger of my two sons - we were visiting his grandmother and he found that hat rummaging around in her closet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members eti Posted June 25, 2011 Members Share Posted June 25, 2011 wat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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