TUBE AMPS VS. TRANSISTORS

[Stellasstillarat]

When it come to tube transciver audio I can tell the difference. I enjoy the soft warm clear yet loud sound of an 11 meter tube rig (if it's up to spec). That's why I use tube cb's exclusivly (on am). People often ask during a qso what I'm transmittting on and will often compliment my audio. Will a transistor (pill) amp amplifier the signal /audio the same as a tube amplifier when using, a tube cb or will a tube amplifier compliment a tube cb? I'm assuming amplification is amplification and one will inevitably get out of an amp what thay put in. Hence junk in junk out but im no expert. What do you say?

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Any perceived difference between tubes and transistors is due to softer switching times of tubes. transistors have a faster switching time that can yield harsher sounds. If you use a tube radio driving a solid state amp then there is no advantage....there are still transistors involved. If you use a transistor radio driving a tube amp then again there is no advantage as one the harshness is produced an amp cannot take it out. In all honestly any difference between tubes and transistors is slight and usually it is more the design of the product rather than the devices used. case in point is my Kenwood TS-820S which is all transistors except a 12BY7 driver tube and pair of 6146's in the finals. It sounds GREAT on the air but all the audio and low level RF is solid state and the only tubes are the final RF stages. Today's solid state gear is capable of REALLY good audio but that is usually reserved for commercial broadcast gear and not for simple communications gear.

 

[BBB]

I like 'em both when driven properly to keep audio distortion and off frequency spurious emissions to a minimum.

Transistor types for ease & laziness of use. Walk in/ turn on/ transmit out.

Tube types for nostalgia effect and duty cycle. The Henry amp I'm restoring can do 300 watts AM carrier 24/365. Try doing that with a typical CB/Ham transistor amp...actually don't.

Had to add that there is a transistor amp that is rated for 300+ watts AM carrier continuous duty, but you'll need a bank loan...

http://www.dishtronix.com/prometheus.html#fragment-7

 

[Stellasstillarat]

I do understand your exspanation but hypatheticly if, your ts-820S used a tube as a modulator would this change the carictiristics of you audio?

Any perceived difference between tubes and transistors is due to softer switching times of tubes. transistors have a faster switching time that can yield harsher sounds. If you use a tube radio driving a solid state amp then there is no advantage....there are still transistors involved. If you use a transistor radio driving a tube amp then again there is no advantage as one the harshness is produced an amp cannot take it out. In all honestly any difference between tubes and transistors is slight and usually it is more the design of the product rather than the devices used. case in point is my Kenwood TS-820S which is all transistors except a 12BY7 driver tube and pair of 6146's in the finals. It sounds GREAT on the air but all the audio and low level RF is solid state and the only tubes are the final RF stages. Today's solid state gear is capable of REALLY good audio but that is usually reserved for commercial broadcast gear and not for simple communications gear.

 

[543_Dallas]

If the transistor amplifier is well designed and ran properly no one will hear the difference. Cb'ers rarely run things properly and different kinds of distortion can sound good some ears.

As for radios some people just believe a tube radio is the only way to get the warm sound you're talking about. They couldn't be more wrong.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I do understand your exspanation but hypatheticly if, your ts-820S used a tube as a modulator would this change the carictiristics of you audio?

My TS-820S would have to be completely redesigned as a plate modulated radio for that to happen. If it was tube from the very beginning I suppose it would sound marginally different but again circuit design has more to do with it than tube versus transistors. A true modulator is simply a straight audio amp that has it's output applied to the final RF stage thru a special transformer that allows the plate voltage to swing wildly up and down thus modulating the carrier. It has often been said that the best audio is obtained from a class C RF carrier amplifier ( class C for efficiency) plate modulated by a class ab (or even class B) audio amp and this is exactly what AM broadcast transmitters used to do. Things are quite different today with advancements in technology and design. Over on amfone.net there are a lot of guys running class E home brew transmitters using FETS that have superb audio quality. The old tube versus transistor sound issue is about as old as vinyl versus CD's and as controversial as claims of being able to hear the difference in audio when oxygen free cable is used for the speakers.

 

[Robb]

Any audiophile or recording engineer will tell you that all the subtle differences in audio quality is critical when it comes to cabling, tubes vs transistors, and the various kinds of distortions/harmonics. However, these arguements are - for the most part - meaningless when in the realm of RF.

I'll take an A weighted tube amp over an A weighted solid state amp any time critical listening and adjustments are needed to audio recordings or playback for enjoyment. Hard to imagine that something as delicate as a tube can render audio in the warmest frame; still the choice of many audiophiles today.