ENTITY · PERSON
Soundman Metro (Percival Miller)
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Percival "Metro" Miller (born Jamaica, 1941), the engineer who built custom valve amplifiers and speakers for British sound systems from the late 1950s, including a celebrated thousand-watt valve amplifier for Jah Shaka, and is remembered as a father figure to UK sound-system engineering.
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How people argued about the music — praise, criticism and public debate. See all debate & reception →
debate
Valve or transistor: warmth versus power in the amp room
Two documented positions on sound-system amplification, stated neutrally: builders and purists prize valve (tube) amplifiers for a warm, weighty bass timbre and celebrated custom designs; others favour transistor (solid-state) amps for greater power, reliability and lower cost, and many rigs eventually moved to solid state. Neutral framing; no verdict. Sources: Red Bull Music Academy (Soundman Metro); Michael Veal, Dub; Blood and Fire forums.
Stance: valve warmth and weight vs transistor power, reliability and economy