Vacuum tubes are legacy electronic components that were used for amplification and switching tasks in radio, television and telephone industries up through the mid-twentieth century. In some cases they replaced electromagnetic relays giving rise to the first "machines" including computers without moving parts. Vacuum tubes continue to be manufactured in 2009 for specialty applications where performance is superior to transistors and integrated circuitry (i.e. high-end audio, guitar amplifiers, high power radio broadcasting) and for aesthetic reasons. Tubes are not without disadvantages including high voltage requirements, excess heat output, shorter life span, and higher cost compared with solid state devices. Unlike solid state components that simply die when something goes wrong, vacuum tubes weaken over time until they need to be manually replaced by a technician or the end user. Despite theses disadvantages, when vacuum tubes work, they perform their task in such a way as to improve the quality of recorded music, to accurately reproduce even the most delicate musical passages without coloration.
No comments:
Post a Comment