Mono Tube Amp Basics
- The type of amplifier greatly impacts audio quality.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
A vacuum tube amplifier, also commonly called a valve amplifier, is a piece of electronic equipment used to intensify the amplitude of an audio signal. Amplifiers in general are used to convert low output signals, such as those produced by the pickups, in an electric guitar into the high output signals required to produce volume through a speaker. Tube amps are a specific type amplifier, with their own unique tonal character. - Tube amps were once superseded by the invention of solid-state amps 1960s, but have since resurged in popularity and are now revered for their subjectively superior quality of tone. Tube amplifiers hold a special distinction among audiophiles, who appreciate the vintage sound produced by tubs.This is especially true in guitarist communities, where there is an additional sense of nostalgia for the use of tube amps throughout the tradition of the electric guitar. Guitarists also often prefer tube amplifiers for their ability to produce true distortion, as opposed to digital modeling effects meant merely to artificially mimic this effect. Distortion is an auditory effect created by clipping, which results from overdriving input levels past the limits of the vacuum tubes. Tube amps produce non-linear clipping, producing a sound which is distinct from the linear, or hard limiting clipping produced by solid-state amplifiers.
- Vacuum tubes offer pros and cons to tube amplifiersvacuum tubes on white background image by Dmitry Rukhlenko from Fotolia.com
The tube amplifier takes its name from the glass vacuum tubes, or valves, which are replaced by transistors in solid-state amplifiers. Although these tubes are the key to the unique sound favored by audio enthusiasts, they also result in a number of disadvantages when compared to solid-state amplifiers. Tube amplifiers are generally far heavier than their solid-state counterparts, making transportation a concern. The glass tubes are fragile, and even if you manage not to break them, they still need replacement periodically. Both of these factors limits the uses of tube amps, and would, for example, make them less than ideal for automobile audio systems. The reliability of tube amps can be finicky at times as well, and operation requires a bit more care. It is generally advisable to allow the tubes to sit idly with the power on for a few minutes before use, in order to allow them to warm up gradually and extend the lifespan of the tubes. - Mono (short for monaural, or sometimes, as applied specifically to amplifiers, monoblock) simply means that there is only one output channel, as opposed to a stereo (short for stereophonic) output, which would output at least two or more channels, with each one often corresponding to speaker configurations, such as left and right. In practical terms, monoblock amplifiers are often used to power bass frequencies, and would likely be used in conjunction with a subwoofer.
