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Scott Dorsey wrote:
> Pooh Bear <rabbitsfriendsandrelations@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >If you want to be pedantic, there *is* a tube sound, a bipolar transistor
> >sound and a *fet* sound.
> >
> >This arises from their different 'transfer characteristics'. No gain
> >device is linear. The non-linearities produce audible effects such as
> >distortion. Tubes and fets produce mainly even order distortion products
> >whereas bipolar transistors produce mainly odd-order distortion.
>
> This is a horrible oversimplification, though.
Is it horrible ?
It's a simplification for sure but at least it gives the OP some ides of the
factors involved which is what I thought he was enquiring about. I also avoided
mentioning ICs much.
> A pentode has a totally
> different transfer characteristic than a triode.
Perfectly true. And of course all the tube nuts now seem to like to triode connect
their pentodes it seems. Maybe it's flavour of the month ?
> A triode set up as a cathode follower has a totally different transfer
> characteristic than one set up
> for voltage gain.
For a mic amp most of the work is the voltage gain. I'm sure a cathode follower
would be nice on the output but don't even get me started on the limitations of
'single ended' followers. A sad limitation of tubes is the absence of the
complementary pair.
> All of these tube circuits sound totally different... so how can we say there is
> a "tube sound."
'Cos the market says so ? I have played iwth the idea of simulating a 'tube sound'
just using a fet but I'm sure the tube fans want a real fire bottle.
Graham
Scott Dorsey wrote:
> Pooh Bear <rabbitsfriendsandrelations@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >If you want to be pedantic, there *is* a tube sound, a bipolar transistor
> >sound and a *fet* sound.
> >
> >This arises from their different 'transfer characteristics'. No gain
> >device is linear. The non-linearities produce audible effects such as
> >distortion. Tubes and fets produce mainly even order distortion products
> >whereas bipolar transistors produce mainly odd-order distortion.
>
> This is a horrible oversimplification, though.
Is it horrible ?
It's a simplification for sure but at least it gives the OP some ides of the
factors involved which is what I thought he was enquiring about. I also avoided
mentioning ICs much.
> A pentode has a totally
> different transfer characteristic than a triode.
Perfectly true. And of course all the tube nuts now seem to like to triode connect
their pentodes it seems. Maybe it's flavour of the month ?
> A triode set up as a cathode follower has a totally different transfer
> characteristic than one set up
> for voltage gain.
For a mic amp most of the work is the voltage gain. I'm sure a cathode follower
would be nice on the output but don't even get me started on the limitations of
'single ended' followers. A sad limitation of tubes is the absence of the
complementary pair.
> All of these tube circuits sound totally different... so how can we say there is
> a "tube sound."
'Cos the market says so ? I have played iwth the idea of simulating a 'tube sound'
just using a fet but I'm sure the tube fans want a real fire bottle.
Graham