On Sun, 12 Oct 2003 14:01:52 -0400, the highly esteemed Sugarite
enlightened us with these pearls of wisdom:

Tube saturation coloration? I love it when people don't have a clue
what
they are talking about... :-(

Guess that makes you a narcisist. Ask any mastering engineer how tube
saturation affects sound.

Well, when I use a tube (or transistor for that matter) in anything other
than a guitar amplifier, I make damn sure that it doesn't saturate. If
the
mastering engineer in question is using a tube stage which is designed
to saturate (and cause distortion), then that is an effect, NOT
amplification (and a very dubious practice, IMO). A true preamp should
NEVER run its amplifying devices anywhere near that point.

Actually, that's always been the reason that I *like* tube preamps,
because they generally have very high overload margins and get nowhere
*near* saturation! I've no idea where this clown has got hold of a
tube preamp which *typically* goes into saturation - maybe he runs it
off a PP3? :-)

This would be an issue of semantics. I'm of the opinion that tube
saturation doesn't suddenly kick in once the power levels reach a certain
proportion of tolerance, and that even at low levels the effect is present.
If what I'm hearing at low levels isn't a result of the same properties that
are influencing the sound near full saturation, then I'm not sure I care.
My point was that tubes are not a benign audio component at any output
level.

Neither is a transistor. However, when properly used, both are quite
transparent and uncolored, particularly in a preamp.

To me, it sounds as though you believe that tubes intristically cause
coloration - a few minutes with a proper model and a SPICE simulator
will quickly set you straight. Better yet, listen to some correctly
designed and built gear...

Engineering excellence doesn't seem to be his bag...............

If you mean that I couldn't fix a tube amp to save my life, you're
right. What I can do is hear the difference between different brands
and/or vintages of the same tube in the same amp. But hey, if you've
got the fancy diagnostic gear that says tubes don't color sound then I
guess I'm trumped. Funny how I keep running into all these defective
tubes that *all sound distinctly different at any output level*.

No, you are running into gear that is operating the tubes "way off their
curve". If you bias a transistor improperly (and don't use any corrective
feedback), guess what?

If you mean audio engineering, I know enough to use tubes for coloration
effects, and to not use a tube amp for monitoring, instead to go the
"accuracy" route to better appreciate how the mix will sound on a
variety of gear, rather than just my own system which is tailored to my
preferences. On this matter I am not alone. I think I'll stick with the
engineering practices of the last 25 years rather than blindly follow
the numbers generated by a simulation gadget.

Engineering practices? What kind of "engineering" are we reffering to?

I have got to ask - what kind of gear are you using to "color" the sound?

--
Greg

--The software said it requires Win2000 or better, so I installed Linux.