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What determines good distortion?

I have a friend using an Audio Research CA 50 integrated amp with 45 watts/channel into Vandersteen 2ce sig II. I use a 50 watt YBA integrated into the same speakers. We both listen at sane levels in small rooms 8 x 12. He thinks that it's better to use a 50 watt tube amp rather than a 50 watt SS amp because tubes when they distort sound more pleasant. I'm thinking that if you drive the amp into clipping it's bad with either a SS or tube amp because clipping distortion is bad whether or not you can tolerate it. Am I wrong?
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Showing 1 response by zoya

zoya
120 posts
 
Jmcgrogan2 is correct about odd and even order harmonic distortions. The best explanation I've read to explain the difference is this:
imagine you are listenning a sollo singer - this is your base sound. Now imagine you are listenning to a chorus - thouse are all your harmonic distortions. If every singer in the chorus sings in cynch (even order harmonic distortions) the sound, even though is different from a solo singer, is pleasant. However, if anybody in the chorus is singing out of cynch (odd order harmonic distortions) the sound becomes unpleasant.
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