What are the differences between Tube and Solid States? Basically, the question is in the title. I'm an acoustic guitarist of 5 years, and have limited experience with sound equipment or amplification. So I was curious about difference - I.E. Wattage, Sounds, Size, Cabinets - Anything that you think is important to know about purchasing a guitar amp. Thanks in advance guys. What are the differences between Tube and Solid States? Basically, the question is in the title. I'm an acoustic guitarist of 5 years, and have limited experience with sound equipment or... » Read More What are the differences between Tube and Solid States? Basically, the question is in the title. I'm an acoustic guitarist of 5 years, and have limited experience with sound equipment or amplification. So I was curious about difference - I.E. Wattage, Sounds, Size, Cabinets - Anything that you think is important to know about purchasing a guitar amp. Thanks in advance guys. « Show Less
1860805
Tube amps offer the warm classic traditional sounds of the 50's and 60's. When pushed into distortion, tubes and solid state amps sound quite different. Tube amps generally cost more, and weigh more. They sell because people love the sound. I own about 7 tube amps... they need routine maintenance based on hours used... as the vacuum tubes will wear out.. Usually it's 2-10 years when the tubes need changed for the average home player.
1845667
I actually power mine with an 8 watt tube amp (the K12G kit amplifier from TubeDepot). Sounds great and easily fills a bedroom or small office with sound. Most of the smaller solid state amps sold through Amazon have more power than that, so really any decent one will work.
1776271
Unlike Solid State Amplifiers where output power is dependent on Power Supply robustness, Device Ratings (eg Power Transistor) and load impedance in OHMs (ie your speaker impedance), a Vacuum Tube Amp is typically Transformer Coupled (Output Tube &gt; Transformer &gt; Speaker). Many Transistor Amps scrimp on Power Supply or Output Transistor so that power into various loads cannot be easily determined. Were those parts "up to snuff" then power into 4 ohms is double the power into 8 ohms. If there is a spec where the power is not doubled with a 4ohm load vs a 8ohm load, this is a clue that compromises were made and dynamic (real music) playback may be stressed. With a transformer-coupled amplifier (Vacuum Tube or Solid State, although SS is rare after about 1970) the power is always the same into any load the transformer has a winding for. So, typically, 4, 8 and 16 ohm loads would be the same power (eg 10w/4ohm, 10w/8ohm, 10w/16ohm). Although a 16 ohm tap on the transformer is rare today, most can be re-configured to provide a 16 ohm tap. Since there is no power penalty by going to 16ohms, and since damping factor doubles when impedance doubles, a 16 ohm speaker on a tube amp would provide very robust and tight bass response (for example).
1141786
the difference between these two is one is 1600.1 and the other is 1500.1 and they are both great amps, CEA compliant if you feed them the power they want they will put out their rated RMS and some. I say go for the 1600.1 it has 100 watts more
1765482
It does not matter,a 5 watt tube amp will work just as well as a 50 watt Solid State amp,Its just a effects pedal.
1580934
If you'd never plug in to an amplifier, buy the OU6 model instead. Other than being acoustic only with no cutaway, the highly recommended OU6's only other big difference is its gloss finish (versus the satin/matte finish of the OU6LCE, which yields a darker, more mahogany-type color, versus the more golden-amber color of the OU6).
844380
I can only speak to my personal experience. my k701s are older I would say at least five years old. Not very worn though. they look brand new so they haven't had rough life. my q701s are the ones assembled in China. they both have the signature akg sound but they are distinctly different. all I had to do was play some zedd and with the q701 not only could you hear the texture of the electronic bass it had body and oomph. just enough. the k701 had no lower extension at all. the q701 sound more musical and fuller without that hardness of the k701. Sometimes I feel the k701 has a better Soundstage but that just might be a difference of hours used. My amp is a little portable amp but I think both would sound world's better with a really nice tube amp. but in answer to your query in my case yes they sound very different. In fact I was shocked how different. But remember my k701s are of a very different vintage.
650994
Some confusion here in the answers. Garrett A. Hartzog is wrong. This amp only has a tube in the preamp stage. The power stage is solid state, so no cab (in which the speaker would generate the load) required. You say you never used an Orange amp, well, the brand has nothing to do with it. Most Orange amps are complete tube amps and those do need a cab, this one isn't and doesn't. That said, if you don't want to use a cab, you might as well use an amp modeler or computer based emulation. The point of this little thing is that it can actually drive a speaker and move some air.
1912927
This is a difficult question as everything is subjective. However, as this is a relatively modest amp in terms of power, I'd suggest selecting speakers with a high sensitivity......certainly greater than 90 db. I have Tekton Pendragon speakers at 98 db sensitivity and they play loud! The advantage of the higher sensitivity speakers is you can use a lower powered amp and still get loud and transparent sound. Any of the speakers by Tekton or Zu audio would be good candidates, as these are considered "full range" and very well suited for tube amps. However, there are literally hundreds of choices out there.
1101553
The didferencw is thw bc15 has a 12ax7 tube and 15watts. The V5 uses a EL84 tube. 12ax7 are typically used as preamp tubes. Do not know the tonal difference. I do not like the bc15 tone. I replaced the speaker still doesn't sound good. Guessing v5 sounds better because of the el84 tube.
1448853
I would not recommend playing an electric bass through a guitar amp like this. I doubt the frequency range of the speaker would give you a very good sound -- I don't know if you could cause any damage to the speaker itself, but I wouldn't risk it. Honestly since I'm not an EE I don't know though. If you're planning on playing a bass and/or guitar through the same amp then I would buy a solid state and save some cash. Also less heart-ache if you do cause some damage. Just my personal opinion.
1333099
For podcasting the preamps on the 44VSL should be good enough to give your voice enough body to sound great. The tubpre is good for vocals and instruments since it utilizes a tube and can be over-driven. Also the tube tends to "warm up" your voice, making it sound more like you're using a full amp. I love the tubepre, but I use it for vocals with an AT2020 condenser mike. If you feel your voice is a bit too flat or just needs an extra boost... then this little baby would be perfect, but its all preference at that point. What do you feel your voice is missing?
815008
I have the amber light model. I think the blue light models were 2012 and earlier. Can't go wrong with this amp. Big, solid, open back, and great tube tone. I run a compressor and modulation effects in the amp's effects loop and it sounds that much better. Lots of tonal variety in this amp.
2179127
I use a tube pre amp and it sounds great. Without the tube pre amp it is trebly and has no warmth. I run a bass guitar through it at the same time and it works great at small venues.
1056667
I don't know which is better but I've had this one for almost a year now and it is powering 4 component speakers and a kicker solo r5 and have not had any problems with it. Such a solid buy. I would defiantly recommend this amp. True grit! And I live in Phoenix so heat is not a problem for it! Hope that helps.
1775195
George and John were both using Vox amps in that period. This is just my opinion, but I think the Super Champ x2 isn't that great. And the 10" speaker isn't enough to cut through in a band situation. This is just my opinion and you should by all means check this out for yourself, but I think the Fender Mustang is a better amp. The Mustang III has a ton of good models plus all effects, it will sound great in your practice room as well as with a full band. It has a 12" speaker so it has more depth and with Fender Fuse if you're handy with a computer you can download your own custom amp models. It's fairly light and is cheaper than the Super Champ. And you can find find a really good deal on a used one with a little effort. The Mustang II is a pretty good amp but the Mustang III is easier to use and at 100 watts it has plenty of power for rehearsal or gigs. I know the Mustang is not a tube amp but solid state has come a long way in the last few years. Good luck and happy picking!
839039
I would use the appropriate tube number that your preamp requires. Guitar tubes have hardness ratings so that you can get a tube that breaks up (distorts) at lower or higher volume. A phono preamp, I would think, should have as clean a sound as you can get through the entire volume range. If your pre amp requires a 12AX7 preamp tube then I would get the hardest rating. Usually lower number ratings,2,3,4, break up earlier than the higher number ratings of 8 & 9. Hope this helps.