From what I understand, the “vacuum tube sound” is just a particular type of distortion caused by the vacuum tube and its operation. I suspect that could be done with the right ICs, but then the manufacturers couldn’t advertise “vacuum tube sound”.
From what I understand, the "vacuum tube sound" is just a particular type of distortion caused by the vacuum tube and its operation.
Actually no. My main home system is Tube.
the big advantage is that Tube amps produce a warmer sound. when driven hard…clipping is rolled off…instead of a sharp spike. Tubes also don’t have negative feedback.
But you need high efficient speakers (recommended 95db or better) for the low power tube amps. My amp only puts our 12watts/channel.
For guitar amps it’s not about high fidelity, it’s all about a sound, which often includes quite a bit of distortion.
Sure they could. They would just have an asterisk after the “vacuum tube sound*” but no where on the sheet would the exception be described 
Somewhere, in the tiniest of print, hidden on the impossible to find datasheet, would be the disclaimer- as produced by our 12 bit DSP and proprietary algorithms…
I didn’t weigh in on this until now because I had no experience…I just rented a 2015 Chevy Sonic, and today we picked up a 2012 Odyssey, and they have USB ports. Just for fun, I threw a few of my albums on a flash drive and tried it. Cool! I don’t know why anyone would want to tote CDs around and get them all dirty and scratched up when one can do this. My mp3 files are all ripped into the computer from my CD collection at 256 kbs (twice the default rate), and audio quality doen’t suffer noticeably. I could probably fit over 50 or 60 CDs on a 16 gig drive and keep it in the glovebox.
As for vinyl…I havn’t had a record spinner for years, but friends have them, with high-end stereo equipment and speakers, and there really is just something about the sound. It just draws you in and you feel like you are there! I have a VERY good Rotel CD player that I bought in my batchelor days and it does a very good job also, and yes…Contrary to what Consumer Reports says…The higher-end CD players really did sound better than the mass-market ones. I haven’t been in a stereo shop in so long I don’t even know if they sell CD players anymore. Years ago I pulled an old Dual turntable out of the trash, bought a new stylus for it and set up the tonearm properly…Friends who grew up on CDs were pretty shocked when I’d throw a record on that thing…It sounded really good!
My Gerard turntable bit the dust several years ago when it could no longer be repaired. Hope to soon get a decent replacement so I can listen to the collection of LPs including my mom’s 78rpm collection. Gonna get everything onto digital but still also listen to the warm sound from the LPs. Then turntable for home and digital in the car. Will get the CDs onto a flash drive also for car listening. Happy motoring. 
Mike, I was referring to guitar amps, which require lots of distortion.
If you have a decent audio system in a fairly large car, you can definitely tell the difference between different quality MP3s and a ‘traditional’ CD. I have satellite radio and the music is so compressed for streaming that most FM stations sound a lot better. This is the main reason I have a love/hate relationship with XM, not even counting the cost. If you have the base factory radio such as often found in rental vehicles, especially in a small hatchback car, everything pretty much sounds like crap.
For an MP3 properly ‘ripped’ from a good quality CD using a high bitrate and flat equalization, the loss of fidelity is minimal. But a CD still sounds a little better to me. And I have some high frequency hearing loss. I imagine someone that doesn’t have a tin ear would notice it even more.
Not trying to revive an old thread… just offering some interesting information: audio cassette tapes are still alive! And with the under 35 crowd!
I read an article recently about CD players in cars. They are still widely available, but you better buy now because the auto manufacturers are phasing them out. The more costly the car, the less likely it is to have a CD player.
Speaking of radios, we recently replaced our clock/alarm/radio. We had 3 requirements: large numerals, two alarms, and AM band. While a lot of clock radios have AM, none of them produce audible sounds beyond static. We returned two and I heard 3 more in the store that didn’t produce AM sound. We finally found one that works, but it took about a month.
@Marnet Yes, I too had a Gerrard “Laboratory” model turntable. Bought it in 1963 and it lasted till around 2004 in the hands of my son who still has lots of vinyl. The table itself on this model has lead weights to ensure steady speed. The unit is quite heavy.
We still have a collection of early Beatles albums, except for their last one Abbey Road.
I Listen To CDs In My Cars And In My House. I Still Purchase Them.
Additionally, on a daily basis, I am still using my Technics receiver and Dual turntable (purchased new in the 70s!) hooked up to 4 large Jensen speaker cabinets. Why change? Sounds great.
The Back In The USSR BOAC flight goes right through the room and Good Vibrations does just that.
I play vinyl albums from a large collection, including the original Abbey Road, purchased when it was released.
CSA
Additionally, on a daily basis, I am still using my Technics receiver and Dual turntable (purchased new in the 70s!) hooked up to 4 large Jensen speaker cabinets. Why change? Sounds great.
I’ve been trying to tell that to my wife. She HATES the looks of my Altec speakers I bought new in 1978. Loves the sound…but hates the look. And many times on weekends I find her playing one of our albums on my Thorens turntable. With her eyes closed she forgets how big they are.
I’ve been trying to tell that to my wife. She HATES the looks of my Altec speakers I bought new in 1978. Loves the sound…but hates the look. And many times on weekends I find her playing one of our albums on my Thorens turntable. With her eyes closed she forgets how big they are.
I don’t care what kind of surround sound system with subwoofers and I don’t know how many speakers and analog-to-digital tech you have, nothing will beat the warmth and feel of a fine record on a turntable through some floor speakers.
Guitar amp story, picked up a 60’s small amp curb find 3 weeks ago with vacuum tubes, with a warning note taped to it, may shock you, was going to look at putting in a grounded plug a common fix for the epiphone amp, or sell it to the store. They gave me $300 for it.
I don’t think I had a car radio with tubes.
Ah yes…Mike, I’m very fortunate to have married a woman that is so into music that she LOVES my huge Paradigm 11se mk. III speakers
Don’t miss the CD player at all. I use mine for a GPS mount.
@JT,there are a handful of fair quality AM radios left,C Crane company sells some of them,an old Ford solid state radio in a custom built box,with power supply and good antenna and ground will bring in radio stations,you didnt even know existed(AM and FM mono)
I’m with you on liking CDs. It’s easier, I submit, to find the music we want on a CD than on a flash drive. Plus, if one CD goes bad, that’s one album or CD we’ve lost. If the flash drive goes bad or gets lost, that’s hundreds of albums gone.
My 2007 Honda Accord has a compartment right below the radio that’s sized perfectly for CDs in those white envelopes. It can hold dozens of them.
I’d welcome both a CD player and a USB port.
New technology doesn’t phase me. I’ve taught computing, and made big bucks in the past ten years supporting it. But the CD is for me a great medium that I hope will be around as long as I am.
“If the flash drive goes bad or gets lost, that’s hundreds of albums gone.” --why would the flash drive be your only copy of your music? If so, you really need to start backing up your data or you’re going to have a very bad day at some point. It’s the work of a few minutes to place files on another flash drive, usually even quicker than burning a CD.
I think the CD will still be around for a while, since for sharing files it’s pennies to make a CD, while flash drives are considerably more expensive, even though they certainly hold more and are reusable. Of course few PCs that aren’t desktop-class even include a CD/DVD drive these days, which I find very annoying.