Hello- I have some tube amp's (40's - 50's) that are rated in "watts" for the output. What kind of ratings did they use(rms-peak to peak-music power- etc) What's the difference between all these.Some of my newer(solid state amps,radios) have a much higher rating, but dont seem to have any more power or sound as good,than an amp with (2) 6L6gc tubes in them. Am I correct in assuming that "watts output' is straight wattage?? The tube equip. seems better!! Thanks, dennis..

They are better, IMHO! I can't give you a good answer to your
question, but I recently spent an evening in a drinking
establishment with a small band. The guitar player collects,
restores and plays, at every opportunity, tube guitar amps.
I asked at the break what he was using to get that screaming
guitar and he said it was a 1971 Fender, 20 watts! He was not
plugged into the general sound system, it was all coming from
his amp. I couldn't believe it.

I think they're like small engines, in the old days 15 HP was
15 HP, today it feels like half that.

: They are better, IMHO! I can't give you a good answer to your
: question, but I recently spent an evening in a drinking
: establishment with a small band. The guitar player collects,
: restores and plays, at every opportunity, tube guitar amps.
: I asked at the break what he was using to get that screaming
: guitar and he said it was a 1971 Fender, 20 watts! He was not
: plugged into the general sound system, it was all coming from
: his amp. I couldn't believe it.

: I think they're like small engines, in the old days 15 HP was
: 15 HP, today it feels like half that.

yes, I know what you mean, I have a 50"s Jukebox with (3) 12 inch speakers in it and it out playes my stereo in the living room with 150 watts per channel. The juke has (2) 6L6 output tubes in it and the manual rates it at 30 watt output,with (3) speakers 2 16ohms in Parellel,I dont know what that would be by today's standards! Dennis..

Hi,
Actually there are significant design differences to the amps outside of the obvious ones.

Ratings in general apply accurately to both. One has to be watchful for "peak", or RMS with the solid state equipment more than tube equipment.

Part of the equation is relative gain within the amp(s) and the other is the designed response curve of the amp. There are a few other factors, but these two are most significant.

The old AlNiCo magnet speakers are more efficient with power, and were designed for large or open cabinets, where most of todays speakers are designed for small, tight, or tuned boxes.

: : They are better, IMHO! I can't give you a good answer to your
: : question, but I recently spent an evening in a drinking
: : establishment with a small band. The guitar player collects,
: : restores and plays, at every opportunity, tube guitar amps.
: : I asked at the break what he was using to get that screaming
: : guitar and he said it was a 1971 Fender, 20 watts! He was not
: : plugged into the general sound system, it was all coming from
: : his amp. I couldn't believe it.

: : I think they're like small engines, in the old days 15 HP was
: : 15 HP, today it feels like half that.

: yes, I know what you mean, I have a 50"s Jukebox with (3) 12 inch speakers in it and it out playes my stereo in the living room with 150 watts per channel. The juke has (2) 6L6 output tubes in it and the manual rates it at 30 watt output,with (3) speakers 2 16ohms in Parellel,I dont know what that would be by today's standards! Dennis..

Back in the 1960's, audio equipment manufacturers and dealers were having a hey-day with power specifications, rating their little 20-watt-per-channel amplifiers as having 80 watts. Here's what they would do. Rather than using the RMS voltage of the amplifier output which might be 12.6 volts driving the 8 ohm speaker, they would use the peak voltage (17.9 volts) and figure power that way: (17.9)(17.9)/8 = 40 watts. And then they'd add both channels together: 80 watts. Sounds high-power in the advertizing, but in actual practice was misleading.

The Feds finally got into their faces and made everyone rate their equipment in RMS power into 8 ohms for each channel. It only seems that it was the solid state stuff that was being rated like this because that time period was at the threshold of the big changeover from vacuum tube to solid state and the tube boys didn't get into the advertizing wars.

Are tube amps better than solid state amps? You may find the answer to that in the "Q & A" column in the October 2001 issue of "Poptronics" magazine (formerly "Popular Electronics" and "Electronics Now" magazines) when it hits the news stand in 2 or 3 months. Stay tuned!

Dean