Bizaare experience today!!!

carlgrace

I think you guys (and the article linked) are making this too complicated.

Tubes have more even-order distortion that transistors (for a given level of odd-order distortion). For whatever reason, humans find even-order distortion more "warm" and "musical" than odd-order distortion. Simple as that.

Also, many VOX guitar amps have a tube in the output stage but are solid-state everywhere else. They sound great (I can't tell the difference) and weigh a TON less than a Marshall amp of equivalent power.

Septivalian

Does the resistance impact the oscillating factor?

Studiot

Old hands may remember a fault with valves (tubes) and some early transistors called microphony.

That is not what was happening here, but it is due to the electrodes vibrating in sympathy to some mechanical excitation and translating this into an (additional) electrical signal.

Sorry, just realised how old this thread is.