Planet Audio Tube Amps
07-21-2002, 06:25 PM
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Car: 1984 Pontiac Trans Am
Engine: 5.0L
Transmission: TH700-R4
Planet Audio Tube Amps
Has anyone ever owned or heard one of these. Tube amps are supposed to be great for SQ, which is what I am going for, but to my understanding, tube amps are still in a pretty experimental phase. I know Butler makes a great tube amp, but funds are kinda lacking and these seem kind of cheap. Jusat curios on my options. I plan on powering some Boston Ralley's in home-made kicks and bridging to a undertermined 12 in the future. What do yall think of these amps? I want something that not everyone has and I want something that has great SQ. Thanx.
07-29-2002, 07:29 AM
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For home audio anyway, tubes are great. There are some things you should know, however. I have a tube amp in my home audio system, and it kicks ***, but it does require some TLC, and more careful component matching when building your system. Whether or not this applies to car audio amps, I have no idea, but for the record...
I assume that since the product was designed for mobile use, it is a lot more sturdy than a home amp. Besides that, tubes wear out and need to be replaced, about every 1000-1500 hours for output tubes, longer for input stages. I have to adjust the bias on my amps tubes about every 2 months or so. Bias is a small amount of current supplied to the tube's grid that turns the tube on. This involves a VOM, and a small adjustment to a trim potentiometer to bring the current supplied to the tube back into spec.
Tube amps have some trouble with difficult loads (ie. large swings in impedance), so I would not try to power subwoofers with a tube amp, but for your front stage, tubes would be very good, if the amp is good enough. Listen to it, preferably in a car. Listen to it loud, just like you would if you had it in your car. Most tube amps run into trouble when presented with high current demands, and will start to sound 'mushy', and lose clarity and definition. The soundstage will collapse, and the music will start to sound like a monolithic blur. When a tube amp is doing things right, there should be a great, wide soundstage, both from left to right, and front to back. Each instrument should have a small 'pillow' of air around it, and a definite space on the stage, much like you would hear in a live performance. The good news is, if it sounds right, you won't want to stop listening and if it is wrong, you won't be able to get out fast enough. Trust your own ears, not the hype of a salesman, after all it isn't going into HIS car, but yours, and you have to listen to it. Hope this helps.
I assume that since the product was designed for mobile use, it is a lot more sturdy than a home amp. Besides that, tubes wear out and need to be replaced, about every 1000-1500 hours for output tubes, longer for input stages. I have to adjust the bias on my amps tubes about every 2 months or so. Bias is a small amount of current supplied to the tube's grid that turns the tube on. This involves a VOM, and a small adjustment to a trim potentiometer to bring the current supplied to the tube back into spec.
Tube amps have some trouble with difficult loads (ie. large swings in impedance), so I would not try to power subwoofers with a tube amp, but for your front stage, tubes would be very good, if the amp is good enough. Listen to it, preferably in a car. Listen to it loud, just like you would if you had it in your car. Most tube amps run into trouble when presented with high current demands, and will start to sound 'mushy', and lose clarity and definition. The soundstage will collapse, and the music will start to sound like a monolithic blur. When a tube amp is doing things right, there should be a great, wide soundstage, both from left to right, and front to back. Each instrument should have a small 'pillow' of air around it, and a definite space on the stage, much like you would hear in a live performance. The good news is, if it sounds right, you won't want to stop listening and if it is wrong, you won't be able to get out fast enough. Trust your own ears, not the hype of a salesman, after all it isn't going into HIS car, but yours, and you have to listen to it. Hope this helps.
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