tube wattage vs. solid state wattage

[flank]

Re: tube wattage vs. solid state wattage

yeah some old 100 watt marshalls have been tested to kick out 140-150 watts..... but like somebody already said...... even if everybody says 100watts is 100watts........ i think even a 50 watt old tube marshall would annhilate a 100 watt ATV or MG marshall......

[Kent S.]

Re: tube wattage vs. solid state wattage

I don't beleive that, thats like saying a 100 watt marshall mg SS is as loud as a 59 plexi........uummmm

Power output is power output, but in no way, is necessarily the same as SPL (acoustic volume) ... However 50 watts is still 50 watts. Now whether a company tests and rates the amp t under the same conditions is another matter all togther. Most crediable manufactures use continous average sine wave ... ie drive the amp at the correct load with a sine wave and get the highest power the amp can deliver and still be clean (unclipped waveform on the scope). The speakers themselves are a big *if* in the sound level. Also nobody stated that there was any even keel of frequency response across the board, amny times an amp that is brighter will be perceived as being louder than another.

[sanrafael]

Re: tube wattage vs. solid state wattage

Given two amps with different kinds of overload characteristics, but everything else equal, the one with the "better" overload characteristics will sound louder because you can drive it further into overload without getting an objectional sound. Thus you are putting out more average power. Forget guitars for a minute, and consider listening to classical music on a stereo. When transistor amps took over from tube, the power level had to go up because some tube distortion is tolerable on classical music, but no transistor distortion is. You need more power to get the same perceived clean level. This is a simple example; guitar distortion is a much more complicated subject, but the same general thing applies.

[jemmisafe]

Re: tube wattage vs. solid state wattage

So actually even though I'm 80 watts below the solid state mine will actually be lounder. So a tube watt is actually more than a solid state watt due only to the breakup pattern, without it they would be equal. And I can see your point about the SS amps.

I have had a 250watt Marshall Solid state, and a 120 AC Vox Solid state, and a 125 watt Bugera 2 x 12" all valve.
The Bugera beat the rest by miles in pure sound and volume.
I now play a 35 watt Supro Thunderbolt all valve and it knocks spots off all of themz, face ripping noise and clear as a bell.
Anything past 1/2 volume is just not needed, pure class amp that costs a lot more than the rest but worth every penny, looks great too!

[AlexR]

Re: tube wattage vs. solid state wattage

So you joined up to reply to a guy most likely long gone......The post being 15 years back.

[jeremy]

Re: tube wattage vs. solid state wattage

speakers have a ton to do with volume as well. a very efficient speaker can make a 20w amp hang with a 50w amp with less efficient speakers pretty easily. as mentioned above thd plays a huge role in volume and this 15 year old thread was sleeping soundly

[Wattage]

Re: tube wattage vs. solid state wattage

I break down a lot less now that I am solid state

[devastone]

Re: tube wattage vs. solid state wattage

My life was totally different 15 years ago.

[PFDarkside]

Re: tube wattage vs. solid state wattage

My life was totally different 15 years ago.

Mine was exactly the same, only completely different.

I bought my Schecter from the OP.

[jeremy]

Re: tube wattage vs. solid state wattage

im still using the same old deluxe reverb i was 15 years ago

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: tube wattage vs. solid state wattage

I don't think there's that much of a difference really..

My Randall T2HL is absolutely, painfully, insanely loud, gets thicker as you crank it up & get's more dynamic/sizzles just like a tube amp. My AMT Stonehead is pretty much the same that way, It's 50W & sounds like 50 'tube watts'..ie ..LOUD. I think how the amp's designed has more to do with it than whether it's tube or SS.

[Demanic]

Re: tube wattage vs. solid state wattage

My 100 watt Spidervalve is way louder than my 200 watt RH -200 running through the same cabinet.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: tube wattage vs. solid state wattage

I think the dinky little "20w" practice amps often fudge their 20W ratings. It probably has more to do with fudged ratings than any actual difference.

Plus. I could be mistaken but I remember reading somewhere that there was no actual way to measure "watts" or something like that..it's all relative & pretty much up to the manufacture's whims..

[Hank-]

Re: tube wattage vs. solid state wattage

Watts is Watts. 40W, 50W, 100w etc. In terms of power it is the clean headroom, as in pristine clean, no power distortion in theory. This if compared with various tube/ss poweramps will be same volume through same speaker. The 40W tube amp was already distorting, it just didnt sound bad & I'm guessing there was already preamp gain present to reveal the cleans arent clean anymore.

[ehdwuld]

Re: tube wattage vs. solid state wattage

My solid state 80 watt Laney amp doesn't like my Joyo Ultimate Drive at all
My 50 watt Carvin absolutely loves that thing

And no I cant crank either one at the house
Neighbors and all