Tube vs solid state preamp
I love the rich and smooth sound of tube amplification. I now use a tube phono preamp in my reference home audio system. Purchasing a tube based Pro-Ject Tube Box S2 phono preamp to replace my solid-state Rega Fono Mini preamp was, however, something I considered for a long time before I pulled the trigger. Tube preamps are lovely, but they also come with a few downsides. I have included a few product recommendations towards the end, but I recommend you check out my Best Tube Phono Preamps article if you consider investing in a tube preamp.
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Content:
- SOLID STATE
- Pros and Cons of Tube Phono Preamps
- What sounds better, tube or solid-state electronics?
- Tube versus solid state: The truth behind tube distortion
- Do tube preamps really make a big difference
- Tube vs Solid State Preamps (What’s The Difference?)
- Amps: Tube vs. Solid State vs. Digital. What’s the Difference?
SOLID STATE
Beginner Guitar HQ. One question that plagues many guitar players of all levels is what type of amp to buy. This guide will help you make an informed choice on what type of amp you will be looking for. It will also answer any questions that you may have about the process and how to tell the types apart. Solid state amps are often rated far higher due to headroom. Tube amps overdrive at a lower volume but analogue clipping is a soft clipping which is pleasant on the ear.
Solid state amps are transistor clipping which is harsh. As a result, solid state amps are rated higher to prevent clipping. In fact, a 20w tube amp could do the same job as a w solid state amp but it will naturally overdrive. Solid state amps run below their rating to ensure that they never overdrive in this way. Tube amps always run up to their rating. Tube amps , otherwise known as Valve amps, are a range of amplifier that use vacuum tubes to amplify the signal your guitar sends into the amplifier and push that to the speakers.
Tubes have historically been used in many audio and communication setups such as tank radios in the war or radio stations around the world. Tube amps come in all shapes and sizes, but many players prefer a tube amp with a vintage style image.
Many classic records and guitar tones are recorded with tube amps. This Bugera tube amp looks classy and retro while delivering a fantastic tone. In an amplifier circuit, a tube takes the input signal from the guitar and translates it into what we hear coming back out of the speaker. Tubes are totally analogue and as such as subject to a range of operating conditions.
They will function differently depending on how they are treated. If you turn up a tube amp, the tubes will naturally saturate and turn into overdrive. This is also true if you hit the front end of the amp with a boost pedal or you play harder.
Tubes have a very wide dynamic range and are very open sounding to how the player plays through the amp. Nuanced movements such as turning down the guitars volume knob or picking softer will result in the tubes producing a cleaner signal, and more volume and a harder attack with result in a more aggressive sound with a hint of overdrive. Tube amps are made by most of the big amp brands and many of your favourite players, both old and new, are probably playing through tube amps.
Everyone from Jimmy Page to James Hetfield is playing a tube amp of some description. As you look into the world of tube amps, you will notice there are a range of different options when it comes to amps and the tubes that they have installed. Many players will tell you they have a preferred type of tube as each style has its own tonal characteristics.
The tubes in a guitar amp are split into two categories. Preamp tubes and power amp tubes. Preamp tubes have a very specific job, they effectively control the tonal sweep over the EQ and the gain levels as well as the FX Loop and Reverb if the amp has them. The power amp tubes drive the whole amp. The power amp tubes give power to the amp and they have an effect on the overall voice of the amp. This is why Marshall amp sound different to Fender amps.
This is not a comprehensive list of all available tube types, but these are the most common power and preamp tubes that you will come across on your guitar amplifier buying journey. Preamp tubes are easier to swap than power amp tubes. Power amp tube swaps often involve needing to re-bias the amplifier and should be carried out by a professional. Amplifier tubes come in all shapes and sizes and are split into power amp tubes that drive the power of the am and preamp tubes that control the overall sound of the amp.
Tubes are made from glass and become very hot when in use. Tube amps carry a lot of voltage to heat the tubes and can be dangerous to modify by an untrained person. These amps may be tiny but they sure pack a punch.
Guitar legend Jeff Beck recently used one on stage at Madison Square Gardens so they can deliver in the bedroom and on the big stage. The control panel is simply, one volume and one tone with the volume knob designed to act as a linear breakup, the harder you push it, the harder it breaks up. The Bugera V22HD is a 22watt, vintage voiced tube head that is perfect for those cool, laid back rock riffs and those attitude filled licks.
Driven by 2 EL84 valves, this amp puts out enough power to fill most stages with relative ease. Two inputs offer the user a bright and a normal option similar to the vintage Marshall Plexi amps, though there is no option to jump the two channels together here to replicate those classic Marshall tones, this amp certainly gets you in that ballpark.
The trio of 12AX7s in the pre amp mean this amp has enough gain in the trunk to satisfy even the hungriest gain fiend but where it really comes to life is when you push it just past the point of bluesy breakup. Blackstar are no strangers to the guitar world. For an up and coming gigging music, the HD20RH is a small package with a lot of tube tone.
This 20w head has 2 channels and is driven by a pair of EL84 tubes, the HT20RH is bursting with British midrange tones and is ready to rock. The dual channels allow the user to switch between clean and dirty and each channel also has two distinct voices. The clean channel has an American and British voice, these voices affect the mid-range response.
The American voice is more scooped and the British voice has a more prominent mid-range. The overdrive channel also has a voice switch allowing you to choose between a classic or a high gain voice. They were full sized Marshall heads, fully tube and ready to rock that Marshall sound on a budget.
This 20w head is a twin channel, EL34 loaded rock machine. Each channel has a dedicated gain and volume so you can switch between two different gain levels or a clean and dirty sound with the included foot switch. It even has an emulated output for plugging straight into the PA system at gigs, removing the need to mic the cabinet up.
This tiny box is full of nearly 60 years of Marshall tone and innovation. You can get all your classic Marshall tones and way more with one small amp. Solid state amplifiers draw their sound from a series of transistors, and not vacuum tubes. Overtime tubes will burn out and wear out but the semiconductors used in the creation of Solid State amps will not. This is where the name solid state comes from.
Due to these amps running on transistor technology, solid state amps are cheaper to manufacture and weigh a lot less than tube amps due to the reduced amount of components inside. The biggest tonal difference between solid state amps and tube amps is the overdrive circuits.
Tube amps will have a very soft clipping with a rounded overdrive. Many players that run solid state amps will use a dedicated overdrive pedal to emulate the soft clipping drive of a tube amp. One major benefit of a solid state amp is that they can essentially be a blank canvas. Marshall may be best known for their industry standard tube amps but they also produce some fantastic solid state amps.
This amp has 4 main voices, clean, crunch, OD1 and OD2 as well as a plethora of effects such as chorus, phaser, flanger, delay and reverb. Solid state amps are often considered to be just practise amps, much like this 10w Marshall amp. Solid state amps can be just as useful for musicians performing and rehearsing at loud volumes. Imagine being able to get that classic Fender look without the classic Fender price tag.
This is a loud amp. The amp has built in reverb, delay, chorus and other effects meaning you can dial in any tone you can imagine and you can adjust the voicings on the amp and distortion channel to allow you to emulate a range of other amplifiers. What more does a gigging guitarist need? Blackstar made sure to deliver all the goods with this amp. It has 6 voices to choose from, clean warm, clean bright, crunch, super crunch, OD1 and OD2 so between any combination of those 6 voices you should be able to get this amp to replicate any rig you can imagine.
It also has what Blackstar call their super wide effects, the twin speakers enhance the stereo field and make the amp sound huge. For all those jangly moments, it even has a string simulator. This is a newer entry into the world of solid state amps, the Katana by pedal giant Boss. You can also switch it down to a bedroom friendly 0. Including Flanger, Delay, Phaser, Compressor and more. You can assign eight presets to the amp meaning you can have a range of different pedals assigned to each preset.
You have so many tonal options here especially if you want a one stop shop for gigging. The amp also has 5 switchable voices, clean, crunch, lead, brown From their high end WAZA amps and an acoustic preamp setting. The amp company that once seen, is never forgotten. The Micro Terror is their tiny, 20w head with a matching cabinet.
On its own, this might not move much air, but this amp sounds do good if you throw a mic in front of the cab, it can handle any stage. It has a solid state power amp and a tube driven preamp with a 12AX7 tube handling the gainstage.
This means, you get solid state portability and price with an overdrive channel that sounds like an expensive, loud, roaring tube amp. The Micro Terror is simple. It has a volume, tone and gain control. When the basic tone of the amp is that good, what else do you need?
This amp would be a welcome addition to any guitarists arsenal. This is one of the most asked questions in the amp buying world. Should I get a tube amp or a solid state amp? Which of these is better? Both tube amps and solid state amps have qualities that make them worthwhile and they also have downsides that make you second guess. The real answer is, there is no right answer.

Pros and Cons of Tube Phono Preamps
In this article I will examine some of the myths and hype related to tube guitar amps and tube distortion. In my view the real answer lies in guitar amp modeling and not in tube emulation or 'how tube works'. In fact, we don't need tube emulation to get smooth tube distortion. One of the main reasons why guitar amps and vacuum tube distortion are misunderstood is that the most common approach harmonic distortion analysis is not suitable for characterizing the distortion of complex waveforms in multi-stage circuits. The guitar signal is a complex wave with many harmonics and not a simple sine wave. Without the right approach there is no right answer, and all methods based exclusively on harmonic distortion analysis ' just digging in the wrong place '.
What sounds better, tube or solid-state electronics?
Remember Me? The No. Today's Posts competitions support us FAQ advertise our advertisers newsletter. Solid State. When you buy products through links across our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more. You may notice that the 'cookie consent' form pops up more often than usual lately - we are tweaking it behind-the-scenes to make sure it's working comprehensively. If you see it again it's because something has changed so please set your preferences accordingly. My Studio. Tube vs.
Tube versus solid state: The truth behind tube distortion

When it comes to figuring out the best set-up for your turntable, there are no one-size-fits-all prescriptions. Your ideal listening experience is going to be strongly influenced by your personal tastes, both aesthetic and soundwise, as well as your budget and the types of music you find yourself drawn towards. As any audiophile knows, when it comes to brand and price range there is an endless abyss of options for amps and preamps. Where you land on that is going to be very individualized and will involve trial and error and personal research.
Do tube preamps really make a big difference
Javascript is disabled on your browser. To view this site, you must enable JavaScript or upgrade to a JavaScript-capable browser. Written by Logan Tabor. And is tube really better than solid state? Today we aim to address all of these questions, and to give a side by side comparison of tube vs.
Tube vs Solid State Preamps (What’s The Difference?)
If you don't know about the do's and don'ts of using tubes with solid state, we can make it simple for you: You can include a tube component into virtually any system, into any position, with no limitations. There is only one area that you need to keep in mind. Running a tube preamp into the small handful of the solid state or tube amplifiers that have an input impedance that falls outside the norm. Don't get stressed. This is easy stuff.
Amps: Tube vs. Solid State vs. Digital. What’s the Difference?
We all know that having an amplifier is essential for all electric guitars. But have you ever wondered how long they will last? Is an amplifier something that will last you a lifetime, or is there something you should know about?
Preamp Tone: Tube vs. Solid State. I was struck with just how much better the Doge tubed preamp did with reproducing the natural tones of the orchestral instruments! All the orchestral instruments just are sounding so much more natural and right with the tubed preamp because the correct harmonic overtones of the instruments are being reproduced!
Solid-state technology all but obliterated the vacuum tube market in the early s. So why are tubes still popular with audiophiles and musicians? I thought it would be fun to contrast and compare the tubes vs. But if solid-state is so terrific why haven't tubes become extinct in the half century since transistors came onto the scene? Maybe, just maybe, because tubes sound better? So even among audiophiles, tubes aren't always favored. I've owned tube and solid-state gear, and I like both for different reasons.
Beginner Guitar HQ. One question that plagues many guitar players of all levels is what type of amp to buy. This guide will help you make an informed choice on what type of amp you will be looking for.
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