Ultralinear and Triode. What's the difference


What are the tonal differences between these two modes of operation?
gnugear

Showing 1 response by jax2

This'll be a bit of a generalization, but here's my impressions based upon experience; Ultra-linear will yield more power and punch, at the expense of holography. Triode will sacrifice the power for a greater sense of dimension, space and textural nuance. Ultra linear leaves me with the impression of sitting much further back in the performance, while triode brings me in closer and gives me a better sense of where the instruments are on stage. If my tastes were in hard driving music like Rock, I might like the muscle and drive of the Ultra-linear. My preferences tend towards acoustic, vocals, folk, blues..more subtle, sparse arrangements in general, with more detail and nuance than most driving rock. I've found for my tastes I prefer Triode. When I had an amp that gave me the option to switch, I almost always ended up listening on triode. No experience with the amps you are considering.

Hope that helps.