As bass players we all know guitar players who swear by their tube amps and would never think of using only solid state amps. Many of us have owned these all-tube bass amps before, and the difference is undeniable. However, tube amps are heavy, and can be somewhat unreliable. On top of that, when you need to change the power tubes, you're talking hundreds of dollars and possibly needing to pay an amp tech for re-biasing of the tubes.
For many years hybrid amps (tube preamps with solid state power sections) helped us to keep some of the tube tone while reducing the weight compared to the all-tube variety. For me personally, hybrid amps have always sounded the best. I've owned a few of the greats including the Ampeg SVT 3-Pro (which sounded fantastic), the SWR SM-400, and an Aguilar DB750--the holy grail of hybrid amps. However, the trend for lighter weight gear is a good thing, and class D amps are the new norm.
Personally, I had one of the earliest class D amps from Acoustic Image when they first came out. This was my main amp when I was in my undergrad program because it worked so great with my upright bass. But, for electric bass the tone of the hybrid amps is hard to beat. With all of the new amp designs, it seems like tubes, even inexpensive preamp tubes, are on the way out. The only contender left right now is the GK MB Fusion series, but we all know that GK has a characteristic sizzle in its sound, and it might be nice to have some other options. I had hoped that NAMM 2016 would bring about some new designs from Genzler, Aguilar, Ampeg, or others...but it seems like all of those companies are moving toward solid state tube emulation circuits instead of the real thing. What a disappointment!
How many TBers think that class D amps sound just as good without tubes as the hybrid amps that have tubes? Why aren't more manufacturers trying to integrate tubes into the preamps of their lightweight class D amps?
For many years hybrid amps (tube preamps with solid state power sections) helped us to keep some of the tube tone while reducing the weight compared to the all-tube variety. For me personally, hybrid amps have always sounded the best. I've owned a few of the greats including the Ampeg SVT 3-Pro (which sounded fantastic), the SWR SM-400, and an Aguilar DB750--the holy grail of hybrid amps. However, the trend for lighter weight gear is a good thing, and class D amps are the new norm.
Personally, I had one of the earliest class D amps from Acoustic Image when they first came out. This was my main amp when I was in my undergrad program because it worked so great with my upright bass. But, for electric bass the tone of the hybrid amps is hard to beat. With all of the new amp designs, it seems like tubes, even inexpensive preamp tubes, are on the way out. The only contender left right now is the GK MB Fusion series, but we all know that GK has a characteristic sizzle in its sound, and it might be nice to have some other options. I had hoped that NAMM 2016 would bring about some new designs from Genzler, Aguilar, Ampeg, or others...but it seems like all of those companies are moving toward solid state tube emulation circuits instead of the real thing. What a disappointment!
How many TBers think that class D amps sound just as good without tubes as the hybrid amps that have tubes? Why aren't more manufacturers trying to integrate tubes into the preamps of their lightweight class D amps?
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