Why Tube Amps Sound Different (and better) Than SS Amps
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Take a look at how Harman international was built, the companies under its umbrella, it's clear dedication to excellence and the depth of its pockets. If they really believed tubes were superior, they wouldn't need someone there with tube experience, they'd simply buy a company. They could probably acquire Conrad Johnson for less than they paid for AKG.
Tim
Really??? They're going to convert tube lovers to ss ML lovers? That's like converting a Republican to a Democrat or vice versa. No their comparison sorry to say would be their amps can rival the best ss has to offer like Krell, whom they saw as their biggest competitor. (the two were probably at one time the two biggest revenue generating high end companies.)
But having reviewed say the ML 336 amplifier, the comparison is based more upon their amplifiers having a slightly darkened, softer quality like the tube amplifiers of the day than the starker, rather than the more threadbare, electronic character of the ss amplifiers of the day.
Actually JBL's real value isn't their home but car audio division. That part of the company took a huge hit with the restructuring of the car industry during the Great Recession.
Yep. They were huge in the aftermarket segment. Today they Harman is slugging it out with Bose for the premium US OEM market but using Harman-Kardon and not JBL. I have to say, Ford's in-house car audio division is very good. I thought the Lexus Levinson co-brand systems were just ok. I've yet to hear Porsche/Burmester and the others (B&W/Jaguar, Naim/Bentley, B&O/Audi, etc.)
And their pro division, which is a huge business, but probably not with the mark-ups of consumer audio.
Tim
Tom,
The measurement section explains why this WAVAC sounds in some problematic aspects. As MF says - "You'll hear more extended amplifiers on top, better-damped ones below, and more powerful, punchy, and dynamic ones all around." This is trivial, well studied and expected.
But it does not explain the important aspect we are debating But I doubt you'll hear an amplifier that delivers the effervescence, transparency, and solidity of live music—all kinds of live music—as convincingly and effectively as does the Wavac SH-833. This is what keeps these threads going forever. And denying the evidence will not make them disappear.
Perhaps in that context it is worth menitoning the paper by Ralph (Atma-Sphere) on paradigms in amplifier design and zero negative feedback:
http://www.atma-sphere.com/Resources/Paradigms_in_Amplifier_Design.php
I have to say, the Spectral DMA-260 is the very first SS amp where I did not hear to an obvious extent the negative sonic effects of negative feedback.
Porsche/Burmester isn't very good imo. bright. I have the baby B&O in my Audi (not the 6k one on the A8)- nowhere close to my Focal/Audison system in my last Toyota. the H/Ks in the Bimmers aren't special either.
i'd like the hear the Dyn one. bet that one is quite good.
And exactly how do you know what feedback sounds like other than its bad it must be feedback? The Spectral with its wide bandwidth is using plenty of feedback. Perhaps it is good because of it.
You can try reading Bruno Putzey's paper where he takes the position there is no such thing as too much feedback as long as it is a stable system. The more the better.
http://www.linearaudio.nl/linearaudio.nl/images/pdf/Volume_1_BP.pdf
I thought we learned those lessons a long time ago and no one wants to brag about how much negative feedback they use now days.
ABX is a great way to tell if you can hear [whatever] at all. But a blind test isn't needed for this! Either you can hear the added harmonics pulse on and off or you can't. Myles, you're in NYC, less than two hours from me. I'll be glad to drive in to visit you to test this stuff in person if you're willing.
--Ethan
Or is the trick designing the best circuit possible and using as little feedback as possible? Because again, what other distortions does the high use of feedback create? Also is Bruno talking about Class D amplifiers?
Listen there were several tube amps over the years where one could adjust feedback (think played with a VAC and Audio Note years ago that featured adjustable feedback; IIRC, some amp still do). All amps sounded much better with a little feedback (particularly in the low end) but of course this result is also going to depend upon the speaker used in combination.
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