OK, one more go at this, this could go on forever and the internet is filled with these arguments.
True….all active devices distort. There are no perfectly linear (therefore non-distorting) device available. Linearity
is the goal.
And true, in the most basic sense, the that vacuum distortion spectra is even order harmonic distortion.
And this is generally more pleasant to the ear than the odd order harmonic structure that most solid state devices exhibit.
The linearity issue is not a canard, at least not to true audiophiles.
True audiophiles are people who were formerly
audiofools and most likely at one time bought tube amps for that fat warm round sound you talk about.
But here is a simple truth.
Tubes (meaning the devices themselves) are not fat, warm and round sounding devices.
Show me a vacuum tube performance characteristic from a data sheet that would cause that effect!
What is true and what you may be confusing is that
poorly designed tube circuits are fat, warm and round.
Big, big difference there.
Yeah and I know all about Bob Carver and the Stereophile test. I was his manufacterers rep for Carver Audio in the New York City area when that test took place.
One thing your glossing over in support of your assertion that transistors can be made to sound like tubes (ever wonder why that is always seems to be the goal?)
is that the test was conducted as a double blind test, which whether you want to believe it or not, the audio community has pretty much abandoned ….including Stereophile, the magazine that conducted the test you refer to.
And what’s old Bob Carver up to these days? Yep, still making some of the finest amplifiers available.
Yeah, that's right.... he is building a range of vacuum tube amplifiers
Guaranteed, not fat, warm or round!
Here is a picture of his latest amplifer. Go read his white papers on his website.
Bottom line...linearity is always the goal (if your serious about audio serving music)!
