Tube driver into a sb220

[552fl]

just my luck big boomer was sold when I got home,,,not a happy camper.well on the look out for small tube driver now,,

 

[543_Dallas]

I think when you take a solid state radio and go into tube amps it will sound better than going through a solid state amp.

As long as both amps are linear and not driven into saturation there is no difference in audio because one has tubes or transistors. The amp is amplifying RF. It is not an audio amplifier.

If you overdrive both amplifiers the distortion from the tube amp may not sound as bad as the transistor amp. By cb shop logic that means tube lenyars have good audio....but not as good as sd1446 transistors. Thems audio pillz.

 

[Tallman]

As long as both amps are linear and not driven into saturation there is no difference in audio because one has tubes or transistors. The amp is amplifying RF. It is not an audio amplifier.

If you overdrive both amplifiers the distortion from the tube amp may not sound as bad as the transistor amp. By cb shop logic that means tube lenyars have good audio....but not as good as sd1446 transistors. Thems audio pillz.

All transistors have the noise that is inherent to solid state devices. The cb logic confuses me.

 

[543_Dallas]

All transistors have the noise that is inherent to solid state devices. The cb logic confuses me.

So you can hear the difference between a tube type RF amplifier and solid state? Some local people say they can but when I gave them the blind taste test they couldn't tell the difference between a 4cx250b and a 2879 amp.

 

[Tallman]

So you can hear the difference between a tube type RF amplifier and solid state? Some local people say they can but when I gave them the blind taste test they couldn't tell the difference between a 4cx250b and a 2879 amp.

I did not at any time say that the difference could be tasted.
Most people cannot tell the difference 2% thd distortion and 10% thd distortion unless they see it on a scope first.(Audio signal)

 

[kopcicle]

I did not at any time say that the difference could be tasted.
Most people cannot tell the difference 2% thd distortion and 10% thd distortion unless they see it on a scope first.(Audio signal)

Could, can't now, and it took a high end speaker or headphone speaker to tell the difference.

Simple anecdote:
Used to be a very common mod for Cybernet AM radios to move the final into the driver hole and add a 1969 in the final hole. There was a bit more to the mod but you get the idea. Wound up to 12W carrier the TA7205 couldn't keep up .
P OUT = 5.8W (Typ) at V CC = 13.2V, R L = 4Ω, THD = 10%
P OUT = 9.2W (Typ) at V CC = 13.2V, R L = 2Ω, THD = 10%
Scope might see it but a SA would for sure. Sounded great on the air but IMD was horrible. Use an early version of the "lick and stick" variable carrier control to get below 7w and the SA results were like a different radio. Again, on the air no one noticed. Now take this spectral garbage of the first case and shove it into a grounded grid driver stage and again into a GG output stage for around 300w total and you have a recipe for sounds great if you are listening to it and not so great if you are 10 to 50KHz away.

 

[StrangeBrew]

So you can hear the difference between a tube type RF amplifier and solid state? Some local people say they can but when I gave them the blind taste test they couldn't tell the difference between a 4cx250b and a 2879 amp.

Personally I never noticed a difference.

As far as how it looks on a spectrum analyzer is concerned that's more about how you run your equipment than the equipment you run, transistors may have some inherent noise but IMHO it's not really significant when you compare it to the crap that any amp will put out if you drive the snot out of it.

In a nutshell just run whatever you have within it's limits and don't stress over the small stuff.