stumblinman Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Class A has power to all output tubes at same time, AB alternates between. For more info, Wikipedia is your friend. Vox is odd, look it up unless someone else wants to spend time working on answering a post that is simply a topic title with no further info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeRom Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Class A amps have more overtones and harmonics, which makes them sound louder relative to their often smaller size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzric Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Class A has power to all output tubes at same time' date=' AB alternates between. For more info, Wikipedia is your friend. Vox is odd, look it up unless someone else wants to spend time working on answering a post that is simply a topic title with no further info.[/quote'] -StumblinMan, Thx for the nutshell answer and your time...I'am starting to look into this and I'm seeing that this also is a topic that folks have different options on here and there...just thought I'd bounce it off the folks here that know here first....sorry for not being so clear..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzric Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Class A amps have more overtones and harmonics' date=' which makes them sound louder relative to their often smaller size.[/quote'] ok I see, Thx guitarslinger.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eracer_Team Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 http://www.aikenamps.com/ClassA.htm The Last word on tube amps, a MUST read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzric Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 http://www.aikenamps.com/ClassA.htm The Last word on tube amps' date=' a MUST read.[/quote'] Thx E, goin there now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layboomo Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 http://www.aikenamps.com/ClassA.htm The Last word on tube amps' date=' a MUST read.[/quote'] You beat me to it ET...that's the correct explanation and more than you probably wanted to know about the subject. That's the first place to go whenever you have a question on tube amps IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzric Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 You beat me to it ET...that's the correct explanation and more than you probably wanted to know about the subject. That's the first place to go whenever you have a question on tube amps IMHO. Thx Lay.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-theory Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 As a guitarist, I couldn't care less about what class my amp is operating in. What I care is that the sounds coming from it inspire me. As a tinkering/building guitarist, the only part about the operating class of a given amp that interests me is that Class A is extremely inefficient, so I can build a class A amp with a pair or quad of a given output tubes that will put out half, or less than half the power that a similarly equipped class AB amp would. Today's obsession over amp class is a marketing-driven obsession, imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzric Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 As a guitarist' date=' I couldn't care less about what class my amp is operating in. What I care is that the sounds coming from it inspire me. As a tinkering/building guitarist, the only part about the operating class of a given amp that interests me is that Class A is extremely inefficient, so I can build a class A amp with a pair or quad of a given output tubes that will put out half, or less than half the power that a similarly equipped class AB amp would. Today's obsession over amp class is a marketing-driven obsession, imo. [/quote'] Thx M for your input.... :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cGil Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Vox lies, and most amp salesmen don't have a clue what they're talking about! It's as simple as that. Here's what really matters... in a nutshell... The tone from a single ended power tube distortion like the VJr sounds thicker cuz it's loaded with even order harmonics. The tone from push pull power tube distortion like the Vox is more detailed, cuz a push pull power amp in perfect balance will self-cancel those extra harmonics in the same way a humbucker bucks the hum. Few push pull tube amps are ever perfectly balanced, even with the most perfectly matched tubes that magically don't drift off spec; but the closer the match, the more clean headroom you'll have available. Use unmatched power tubes for quicker and thicker distortion. Cathode biased amps (like the VJr and the Vox) are inefficient, but once properly biased, never need re-biasing for a power tube swap. Fixed bias amps will get more output power out of the same tube, but must be rebiased for each tube swap for optimal tone/tube-life. The tone difference between cathode bias and fixed bias on a VJr has been said to be largely insignificant. The tone difference between a class AB VJr and a class A VJr is also fairly insignificant, although I do happen to think the closer-to-class-AB bias of 85% to 90% of Pmax sounds best. And my tubes sure have lasted a long time! You've already got the link for Class A, so here's the deep scoop on the rest of it. http://www.aikenamps.com/SingleEnded.htm http://www.aikenamps.com/Biasing.html Gil... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cGil Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Oh yeah, the VJr's factory bias is over 100% Pmax, which would make it class A, but the high plate voltage puts it way out of class A territory on the el84 data sheets. It' s no wonder the stock VJr chews through power tubes. Gil... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzric Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Oh yeah' date=' the VJr's factory bias is over 100% Pmax, which would make it class A, but the high plate voltage puts it way out of class A territory on the el84 data sheets. It' s no wonder the stock VJr chews through power tubes. Gil...[/quote'] Thx Gil for all the links and info...I'll be checking all this good stuff out this week... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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