Tubes?!?!?!

[ibanezts808]

This is probably a stupid tube question, but tubes, are they like a transistor equivalent in application, or I should say, are transistors a tube equivalent, but who's using a timeline? lol.

[Ge_Whiz]

A valve is like a FET - a varying input voltage controls the output current. A normal everyday bipolar transistor works in a different manner, although the final result is much the same - in a bipolar, a small input current controls a larger output current. It is relatively easy to convert between current and voltage using resistors, so either can be used for much the same purposes (amplifiers, oscillators, switches...).

An operational amplifier usually has an input voltage controlling a larger output voltage.

[fikri]

It should be the same in looking at how it works, but believe me, they both are still different ! Transistors are clipping too fast, and they produce odd order harmonics, while tubes will not clip instantly and produce even order harmonics which are pleasing to the human ears ! and thats where the mystical came from !