Amp craftmanship/Quality

Reliability should play an important role, perhaps even the overriding 
consideration in choosing any equipment. Unless you buy two of everything your down time these days seems to only be growing.

We have fewer qualified techs each year. 

I think buying from a domestic maker is smart, albeit more costly.
I chose Pass Labs as their service is great and in an adjoining state.

If China moves on Taiwan, which they have openly promised to do someday, owning anything Chinese will be shameful. But in the meantime buy it and enjoy it but don't feel too smug. Your day of reckoning may be closer than you think.

Heard many tube amps, SS amps, 
class A, AB, H

 all had a different signature, some had deeper bass, bone crunching midrange, treble,....from ear splitting searing painful molar grinding tripe, to relaxed, accurate treble, which was fatigue free!


  The comment all tubes are silimar sounding, is just not true, do your ears hear everything the same?

  I remember a looong time ago, hearing many different amps at my (now defunct) shop
mod squad, adcom, Carver, onkyo, 
with klipsch, paradigm, b and w, definitive tech, and much more.

 I do remember the carver silver 7’s, mod squad, sounding the most natural, relaxed.

 The adcom monos were with the klipsch corner horns, it was painful, and I had to leave the room.
 I mentioned all this in a previous message. 
 Came back the following weekend, the silver 7’s were driving the corner horns, night and day diff.
 Mod squad stuff similar, but with deeper bass, and more relaxed treble.

 Don’t get the tubes all sound same,,,,,.

 A dingbat shop by me sells Mac, I demo’d my Sunfire 600(brought in) their Mac I think it was only a receiver in 1 room, then the 600W monos on another room with the Cremona speakers.

 Had my lil hey still in stroller, crabby,....started playing the Mac monos through I think was the cremora, or Cremona speakers (sonus Faber). After Floyd’s the wall cd, after the first few songs, mother, blue sky, empty spaces, the lil guy was out, as I nearly was. 
Such a mellow, relaxed, detailed sound!
  Cd was the music hall CD player. 
   It put me in a trance.
I have now what still gives me goosebumps, the McCormack amps, McCormack UDP-1 /pio Elite dv-79avi , and speakers which I absolutely love for their warm detailed sound.  
  Could I have afforded the Mac/sonus pair, yes.
I have done better with what I have now for my ears. 
 Anyway, tube amps are all different. The Carver tube stuff and older Mac gear is leaps above most anything else!

I’m very happy with my gear. 
 Mccormack
sunfire
pio elite. Sherwood
bic venturi
sanders
onkyo
b and k
Energy
yamaha receiver
 Furman 
some other ods n sods

  still here!

gone
rotel Rb-1090
many speakers
carvin dcm 1500’s
cv
altec Lansing m-510’s
emotiva xpa-1s’ here but in storage
sunfire 300 ( loaner) bought 600 after 
lots receivers
5-7 cd players



more but can’t think

When I switched the original Sovtec tubes in the ARC pre for Golden Lions the change was way more and better than expected from the very first note.  No issues in 25 years.  

Regards,
barts

I’m still playing my dads HH Scott tube StereoMaster receiver. Only thing I’ve changed are the tubes. No maintenance since new in 1962.