my info could be wrong.. but somebody told me the TS808/TS9 were made more for Tube amps, and the TS7 more for SS amps.
can't be sure though.. i have the TS9.
Nah. They share the same basic architecture, one OP-AMP stage with clip diodes in the feedback loop and one "buffer" opamp stage. Some values are different of course (otherwise why brand them differently ?
)
The TS7 even has an edge up on the TS9 and TS808 as it sports two more "extra" transistors that the 9 or 808 don't have and this is what's used for the "hot" channel.
Why, circuit wise, the only difference of a 9 to a 808 are two resistors (total part cost : P0.50) and of course the chip. But you can bring a 9 to 808 on a "close enough" basis just by changing those two resistors.