A well designed solid state amp will always be more reliable than a tube amp. Properly designed means that the output transistors are operated well below their maximum ratings, and will therefore last a long time. Properly designed also means that the heat is directed away from the rest of the amp. On the other hand, tubes will always burn out after some time. I am firmly convinced that a tube amp will sound better but if reliability is the criteria then SS wins.
more reliable amp: tube or solid state class A
i got to reading this thread:
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?aamps&1144724173&openfrom&1&4#1
i require no convincing that class A sounds better than AB or D or whatever else, but the efficiency is terrible, with the efficiency losses being reflected as heat.
and heat, as we know, causes thermal breakdown. this is a matter of engineering: the hotter a component runs, the shorter the mean time between failure. simple stuff.
but here's the question: if we took 2 equally hot-running amps, one tube and one SS, over the long haul, what would be more reliable? the tube amp, or the SS one?
i'm thinking the tube amp, solely b/c the tube is the hottest part, and its failure is accomodated for in the design (you simply plug in another tube). a hot running SS amp will eventually burn out resistors / transistors, and joe audiophile will be forced to send that to the factory for replacement.
(i am going to do some HVAC work on my room, and if i can keep in cool in mid July, i will be moving to the winner of this argument)
thx
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?aamps&1144724173&openfrom&1&4#1
i require no convincing that class A sounds better than AB or D or whatever else, but the efficiency is terrible, with the efficiency losses being reflected as heat.
and heat, as we know, causes thermal breakdown. this is a matter of engineering: the hotter a component runs, the shorter the mean time between failure. simple stuff.
but here's the question: if we took 2 equally hot-running amps, one tube and one SS, over the long haul, what would be more reliable? the tube amp, or the SS one?
i'm thinking the tube amp, solely b/c the tube is the hottest part, and its failure is accomodated for in the design (you simply plug in another tube). a hot running SS amp will eventually burn out resistors / transistors, and joe audiophile will be forced to send that to the factory for replacement.
(i am going to do some HVAC work on my room, and if i can keep in cool in mid July, i will be moving to the winner of this argument)
thx