Tube vs transistor: Which is better?

Gatot Susetyo, Contributor, Jakarta

What do you expect from a high-end stereo music system? Of course high quality sound, just as when you listen to a live musical performance, where the sound of bass, treble and vocal are so clean and transparent.

That kind of high quality sound can be produced by either a vacuum tube or transistor amplifier. Both can give listeners an authentic illusion of reality, but the question is which is better?.

According to audiophile stereo lovers, a vacuum tube can produce cleaner and more transparent sound than a transistor. With a tube, the details of the sound such as bass, treble and vocal are so transparent, whereas transistors often produce a lot of buzzing.

"Tube amplifiers produce more low-octave bass while transistor amp mostly emphasizes on sibilants and cymbals especially when played at a low level," says Chandra Wijaya, an audiophile who lives in Surabaya.

"Transistor sound seems to be 'restricted' as if it is put under a blanket, whereas the sound from the tube amp seems to jump out of the speaker at you," says Steven Adi, an audiophile in Jakarta. Adi said that the transistor amp had highs and lows but there was no "punch" to the sound.

There are a lot of vacuum tube brands in the market at present although many vacuum tube producers in Europe, China and Russia have stopped production.

NOS (New Old Stock) is a big force in the tube market at present as many older, unused tubes taken from warehouses of the closed down factories such as WE300B and WE91ASE brands are still available in the market. Their quality is as good as those produced by Mullards, Siemens and Philips.

Of course, both technologies have their own uniqueness. Many stereo lovers in Indonesia still prefer transistors to tubes. Tubes may produce a better sound, but unfortunately they consume a lot of energy. Tubes also requires better maintenance.

Defining the difference of both technologies is, however, a complex problem. And don't forget that a tube or transistor is an element in an audio system, and the best sounding system is one where each of the components in the entire system are well- matched to work together synergistically in a well-balanced system.

In particular, we believe that the matching of the amplifiers with the loudspeakers is the most critical link to a musically satisfying system.

And finally, the perception of the quality of sound depends on the discernment of our ears.