tasos@bucrf13.bu.edu (Anastasios Kotsikonas) (12/20/90)
Hello everyone, after having listened to the new ARC 240 solid state amplifier, I cannot help but be puzzled even more about this so-called controversy over tubes/transistors, and I am here to question its existence. So, here's ARC which has made solid state amps in the past, then made and keeps making tube amps, now offers transistored amplification, and quoting my dealer 'Next year they'll be coming out with a 200W/ch solid state one.' Obviously, ARC realizes the potential of the solid state market and wants to be 'in'; or is there something more to it?. My dealer, a tube advocate but not narrow-minded, characterized the 240 as 'beautiful' (incidently, so did I), but why? Because it's an ARC? Or is it because it's coming from a company that makes good tube amps? Or is it because nowadays transistors are capable of sounding 'tuby' (or tube-like if you prefer)? Or is he just being a professional, trying to sell his stock? Well, I guess I'll have to ask him personally, although I have a feeling his position is much like mine (as outlined below). Other companies have switched policies (which market to address) in the past, but for the most part they settled down to either tubes or transistors (please correct me if I'm wrong). ARC seems to be addressing both markets now and I don't believe they are just experimenting. To me, the people at Audio Research are saying the following: you cannot be absolute about either technology. There are some things that tubes do better (in general terms always), such as sweetness, warmth, clarity, etc., and there are other things that transistors are more capable of delivering, such as bass, transient speed, etc (speaking in general terms again). I think they are right. There IS no controversy. People should not be asking themselves whether to go with tubes or not (as the controversy means it); they should be judging what sounds better to their ears and what doesn't. From my experience, there are speakers that sound much better with tubes, and there are speakers that DO need transistors. And there are cheap tube amplifiers that can only be matched by expensive solid state amps in some areas. The bottom line: I accept the question "Should I go with tubes or not?", but not in the context of which school should I follow, but rather, what sounds better to my ears -- what is 'pleasing', as someone else in this newsgroup said some time ago. Sincerely, Tasos Kotsikonas tasos@bu-pub.bu.edu tasos@stardent.com