I had someone tell me that their 60 WPC VTA ST-120 sounds as loud as their older 100 WPC solid state amp. One of the first users of the 125 watt VTA M-125's told me that he brought his M-125's to a friends house who ran an Adcom 200 WPC GFA-555 solid state amp. His friend mentioned that the M-125's would play "about as loud" as the Adcom. Why do tube amps tend to sound "louder" than their solid state counterparts of the same wattage?
First of all a watt is a watt. A 100 watt tube amp is not really any louder than a 100 watt solid state amp. The reason it may be perceived as being louder is because when you reach the point of clipping on a solid state amp, the solid state amp will clip in a square waveform. This type of clipping is very harsh (and quite noticeable) to the ears. When a tube amp is driven hard to the point of clipping, the tube clips in a more "rounded" waveform. This type of waveform sounds much softer, less like distortion to the ears and may not be even noticeable to the average listener as the music is playing.
Bob
First of all a watt is a watt. A 100 watt tube amp is not really any louder than a 100 watt solid state amp. The reason it may be perceived as being louder is because when you reach the point of clipping on a solid state amp, the solid state amp will clip in a square waveform. This type of clipping is very harsh (and quite noticeable) to the ears. When a tube amp is driven hard to the point of clipping, the tube clips in a more "rounded" waveform. This type of waveform sounds much softer, less like distortion to the ears and may not be even noticeable to the average listener as the music is playing.
Bob
