The main reason you should buy a tube amplifier before a transistor based amplifier is that they sound better. Unlike a transistor amplifier, there is no cross-over distortion associated with the sound produced by a tube amplifier at lower levels. A good tube amplifier virtually eliminates the faint but ever-present ‘buzz’ that results from this cross-over distortion. Less distortion means better sound reproduction, so that the recording being played will sound closer to how the original piece of music sounded in the studio.

A further advantage of tube amplifiers is that they can improve the sound produced by digital music formats like the CD and MP3. Many feel that the sound produced by these digital formats can feel cold and harsh when compared to older analog formats like records/vinyl. Tube amplifiers will generally soften the sound coming from digital sources like CD players and MP3 players and improves the listening experience. Hooking a tube amplifier up to your digital-based music system will thus breathe new life into the digital recordings that are the basis of most peoples’ music collections.

From an aesthetic point of view, a well designed tube amplifier can also look amazing, with the retro feel of the exposed tubes distinguishing a tube amplifier from the black box-like forms of most transistor based amplifiers. When the lights are turned down, the tubes themselves produce a soft glow when playing music which will make your sound-system stand out from the crowd.

Popularity: unranked [?]