Jump to content

30 ss watts + 4x12 VS 15 tube watts


Recommended Posts

  • Members

watts doesnt always equate to volume. there is a whole bunch of factors. I know a lot of folks would say that a 15watt tube would be louder than a 30watt ss.

 

I know my 12watt tube amp is {censored}loads louder than my 10 watt solid state.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Tube amps seem louder because you can turn them up past their rated wattage. A 15W ss and a 15W tube going through the same speaker cab will be the same volume when they are actually pushing 15W.

 

 

watts doesnt always equate to volume. there is a whole bunch of factors. I know a lot of folks would say that a 15watt tube would be louder than a 30watt ss.


I know my 12watt tube amp is {censored}loads louder than my 10 watt solid state.

 

 

 

That's why I said "through the same cab," and "running them clean."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

it has to do how the amp wattage ratings go.

most solid state and hifi amps are rated with the peak value (sinus), which is sqrt(2) times higher then the RMS value, which is mostly used for tube amps.

 

so if you have a tube amp with 15W RMS it means it is 15W*1,41 = 21,2W peak.

a 30W peak solid state amp has 30W/1,41 = 21,2W RMS.

 

so in the RMS rating the amps only 6W different, in the peak value the difference is about 8W.

 

another thing is, double the watt of an amp (take with both either peak or rms but the same rating for both), means 50% or 3dB more volume.

 

so 6W more than a 15W is far away from doubleing the wattage, so it seems that the 15W amp is almost as loud than the 30W solidstate, which is in fact only an 21,2W amp.

 

if you crank a 30W solidstate amp, it will sound shrill and not nice, if you crank a 15W tube amp it will sound warm and nice, so the impression rises that a 15W tube amp is louder, cause nobody wants to run the solidstate at that volume cause the sound will stink.

 

why do they rate with peak value?

its marketing, size does matter, more is better, and if have don't have to give more to sell more, just put some big numbers there and people will buy it.

wow this amp has 100W, it must sound like heaven, try to sell an amp with 70W instead :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...