22 Apr
2005
22 Apr
'05
9:03 p.m.
On Fri, 22 Apr 2005, woodelf wrote:
I wonder if the quality of AM radio ( not counting the
decline in music
taste)
has gone down since every thing uses soild state diodes as compared to tube
diodes.
No. Narrow IFs and lack of design attention due to declining
worthwhile content on AM (plus novelty of FM in the '60s) and
other factors all conspired to make it sound crappy.
Preferring the sound of tube audio is fine; insisting it's
"superior" puts you with the tinfoil hat crowd.
You can simulate a tube diode with a silicon diode, a battery to
remove some of the .7v quantum bias, a huge series resistor a huge
parallel resistor and a bunch of capacitance everywhere to
everywhere. Don't forget inductances at VHF. Toss in 5 watts for
heat and shot noise. They suck. A circuit designed to work with
them does a great job. Ditto solid state, minus the resistors,
capacitors inductors and heat.