Questions about Tube Amps (1 Viewer)

[Jeff Braun]

I've heard a lot about tube amps, both on this forum and elsewhere. However, there are some questions I still have about tubes, that I can't seem to find the answers to:

1. With a tube setup, do people use tube amps to drive their subwoofers?

2. I enjoy listening to stereo sound using all 5.1 speakers in my system. Do there exist 5 channel tube preamps/amps? If not, do some people use a 5 channel preamp, and a tube monoblock on each channel?

3. Is it possible to combine tubes and solid state in the same system? I've read about using a tube preamp and a solid state amp, since solid state seems to deliver better low-frequency performance. Does this combination work well for most people who try it?

I've also read about using tube amps to drive the higher frequencies, and solid state to drive the lower ones (not just the sub). Is this a practical/good sounding solution?

Thanks for the help,
-Jeff

 

[Saurav]

3. Is it possible to combine tubes and solid state in the same system? I've read about using a tube preamp and a solid state amp, since solid state seems to deliver better low-frequency performance. Does this combination work well for most people who try it?

Usually, yes. I had a tube preamp and SS amp in my system for a while, and I was happy with the sound. The only thing to watch out for is the impedances - tube preamps usually have higher output impedances, so you should pair them with amps with high input impedances. Some SS amps have relatively lower input impedances, so they might not work too well with certain tube preamps.

Hope that answers some of your questions.