The title of this thread – “can solid state tape electronics equal their tube equivalents” suggests prejudice, so I can “shoot back”: “sure and handily beat them!”
But let’s start with a history of MY prejudice. As stated previously in other threads, I started out as a tubophile and directed all my “energies” towards that method of design and implementation. Then I “happened” across the Cello equipment which challenged these beliefs and altered my prejudice. I since realized that I had never had or taken the opportunity to listen to really well designed solid state (SS) equipment. From a tape playback perspective, this experience culminated in my King/Cello preamp. More later.
Now let’s examine tape electronics with a broad brush. The categories include 70 years worth of “stock” electronics supplied with the recorders both tube and solid state. Then there are what I’ll call the “accessory “categories, like many 1950’s, tubed “hi fi” preamps which had low level tape head inputs, and the few recent (10 years or so) tape playback (and record) equipment available from Manley, Bottlehead and others. Finally are what I’ll call “aftermarket” modifications made directly to the machines, into which I’ll lump the Aria electronics and modifications made by Tim Paravancini(sp?) and others. From a sonic perspective all of these electronics ranged from very good to the great term coined by my tape mentor U47: “abysmal minus”. From my own experience, a lot of decks including the tubed Ampex and a number of Studers do sound VERY nice.
Now let’s get into the sonics themselves: from personal experience. I have listed to a lot of different decks in a lot of good systems and enjoyed many of them. Of course, the problem is when I don’t enjoy something, the sheer number of intervening “things” make it impossible to determine the source of my irritation. So when possible, I use direct A/B comparison. This is NOT easy, especially with tape recorders – which are slightly larger than breadboxes – and, unless you are Ki Choi, can’t assemble many in one room. Through generous loans, I have had the opportunity to audition and compare the K/C (in my listening room) with certain “stock” decks; Ampex, Nagra, Lyrec and “accessory” preamps: Manley, Bottlehead. Through my electronics, driving Quad 63’s, in general I hear a wider, deeper soundstage and more of what I can only refer to as “slam”.
Why? – and I’ve got the body armor on here. Here’s the tube versus transistor thaang. Please realize that you have both the amplifying device itself AND the topology in which it’s used. From my reading I have to believe that every device and combination of devices and topologies have been explored – over the past 70 years! Much of what I see today is what I’ll call “minute implementation” of secondary things – shielding; grounding; vibration damping; decoupling, etc. , all of which can be important to reducing those last few decimal points of distortion, noise and items we haven’t quantified yet. And of course cable types and their inevitable interactions.
I digress. For some reason which I can’t explain with any engineering finesse , I now feel that solid state can “take better control of a transient” – something to do with speed – hence time. Faster attacks and better control of overshoot. Seems to be especially noticeable in circuits requiring a lot of gain – hence preamps. Then there is the noise issue, which careful design and tube rolling can mitigate. Ah tube rolling: those were the days!!??
Finally, I must recount the interesting “tube prejudice” I’ve come across with a few preamp customers, and tire- kickers. The comments of one customer basically described the subset – something like; “I’m a tube lover and my whole system is tubes” - the undercurrent of which recalls the title of this thread. It took him a few days with my loaner, and subsequently a few minutes with a competing tubed unit to make up his mind. My point – there is a cult mentality here.
Lest I forget, and not necessarily a tube versus solid state issue; we (myself and U47 at least) have found that recording and playback designs can sound different within the same machine. Many (stock) machines seem to be more sonically neutral for recording versus playback.
"Keep your Tails Out and your Heads Clean"
Charles