12-29-2002, 11:41 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Tubes in Your PC?
This isn't all that new, but I haven't seen a good article on the situation until this week. AOpen (an OEM manufacturer owned by Acer) sells a mainboard with a vacuum tube-based amplifier. They claim that the sound quality improvement has been noticeable. Debate has been ensuing as to whether they're brilliant or absolutely nuts. 
More importantly, this might be the beginning of an evolution of PC's into the consumer audio and media markets. We've been seeing the evolution of the PC as a PVR/TV tuner culminating with XP Media Center Edition, so this can be viewed as another step further. Do you think that PC's will continue integration with consumer electronics, going higher-end? Could we see tubes in a Pocket PC specially geared to high-end audiophiles?
(For more info on the tube-based technology, see AOpen's page on the subject.)
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12-29-2002, 11:48 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 717
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I think it is brilliant, I love my SonicFrontiers tube amp, it is the only way to go if you are serious about music. If I had cash to spare I would get Mark Levison amps. Humm, a Ferrari or an amp let me think about it.
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12-29-2002, 11:48 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 399
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Lets face the music.
Windows media edition PCs are great, but the software that operated them is not. WME always makes you use the stupid interface for everything forcing you to cope with using windows software.
HHHHHMMMMMMMMM....to be honest with you...I might go for a pocket pc with good sound quality...but although I get my "music genes" from my dad who is the defenition of an audiophilie, my ipaq 3955 is not all that bad. What one must remember that (in portable cases) its not the player, its the cans that you use. If you dump 5 bucks for some earbuds..you might as well keep the crap that you get with your player....but if you pay 50+ for sony nudes ear buds..then we are talking quality. Also dont forget hte 100+ buck DJ phones.
Anyway I got way of subject.....sorry about that
To answer your question: Yes the better quality the better revenue.
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12-29-2002, 11:50 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 399
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by szamot
I think it is brilliant, I love my SonicFrontiers tube amp, it is the only way to go if you are serious about music. If I had cash to spare I would get Mark Levison amps. Humm, a Ferrari or an amp let me think about it.
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mmmmmmmmmmmmm....mark levinson....................
Crap all this drool on my keyboard now!!!!
Hey the Lexus LS 430 comes with an option for a mark levinson system installed.
wait.....more drooling...mmmmmmm mark levinson
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12-30-2002, 12:08 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 203
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I can easily see some manufacturers using tubes in their systems that are geared for audiophiles. Heck, I'd buy one!
In a pocketpc, though? I don't see it. Tubes are too fragile to be used in a device that is meant to be pocketed. Tubes burn out, sometimes frequently. Changing them is a bit more complicated than simply changing batteries. Actually, I misspoke. Changing them is quite easy. It is the fact that in order for them to be properly shielded against breakage and to shield the user against the heat inherent to tubes, they need to be internal. This would mean that to change a blown tube you would need access to the interior of the pocketpc.
I won't even get into the issue of size.
However, like I said to start this, I can see tubes becoming an audiophile niche product. Of course, to use a pc with tube technology, they would have to come up with a fan that was virtually silent.
Dang, the more I think about it, the less likely it seems. I was getting excited there for a minute!
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12-30-2002, 12:53 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 171
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Anyone else old enough to have ever seen a portable tube based radio?
The portability issue is power... the (necessary) heating element in a tube consumes massive amounts of power compared to its solid state equivalent, so the batteries necessary for running the tubes make portability difficult at the least. As an example, the first successful mass produced transistor based products were Transistor Radios that allowed radio's to become truly portable.
Additionally, the British term for "tube" is "valve" a much more descriptive term than the former... and the output from tube switching is much more analog or smooth rather than the fast, sharp "clipped" output of chips, a property that can be used to advantage when needed.
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12-30-2002, 01:21 AM
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Editorial Contributor
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 5,411
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by BevHoward
Additionally, the British term for "tube" is "valve" a much more descriptive term than the former
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Maybe for the electrical function, but vacuum tube seems adequate for the physical construction.
__________________
Sometimes you are the anteater, sometimes you are the ant.
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12-30-2002, 01:35 AM
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Thoughts Media Review Team
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 749
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I wonder if, they might be working on a 'miniature' version of the tube technology, whcih would not require such high voltages (for bias, plate, etc) or currents (to get the heater going). Hmmmmm....
I mean, use the same basic concept (of heated electrons being used to regulate the passage of current through a second medium....Hmmmm.... (Hey! isn't this the concept being semiconductors????)
Anyway, just musing -- it would be kind of neat to see 'miniature' tubes in use in smaller devices. But I'm also one of those audiophiles who firmly believes that tube amps produce a much 'warmer' sound than the transistor models.
__________________
/drt
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12-30-2002, 01:42 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 179
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Tube amp sound quality
I have some interesting trivia regarding valve/tube amps vs transistorised amplifiers.
The main difference in sound is the behaviour of the circuitry when it is overdriven. This dates back to the early days when amplifiers were not powerful and so were always played at max volume ie they were overdriven.
When you overdrive a valve amp, the distortion that sets in is predominantly in the even order harmonics (2nd order, 4th order etc). With a transistorised amp (and integrated circuits are basically lots of transistors), the distortion arises mostly in odd order harmonics (1st order, 3rd order, 5th order).
To our ears,even order harmonics give a much rounder fuller sound, compared to odd order which tend to sound thinner and more tinny. We all recognise the characteristic sound of an electric guitar being fed through a Marshall valve amp at max volume (think Jimi Hendrix). There is also more distortion in valve amps at lower volumes - so to a physics purist, transistor amps should give a cleaner sound - but it seems that we are nostalgic for the older style sound of valve amps.
There you go...more information than you ever wanted...just the thing to bore your neighbours with at a New Year's party!
dt
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12-30-2002, 01:51 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 416
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No, my experience with tubes is they are affected by ambient temperature and they generate heat.
I use to own a Lafayette SW reciever that was like Luke Skywalker trying to target the exhaust vent with his targeting computer. Drifting back and forth thru the sine peak of the signal. Glass has weight as well.
No, I'll stick with ICs. Now I've got a Sony ICF-SW77 now, works for me.
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