Best Values and worst values in SS and tube amps ?

I'll "third" Aronov tube gear as being great (used) value ! I haven't found anything to bettter drive my Gallo Nucleus Ref's than the Aronov 110W Monos (4 conservatively driven 6550C's or KT 88's ea,) for the price. I used to have Pass Aleph 2.s.

I think this thread itself is an example of what I'm saying about subjective preference. Some people love Aronov and some think it's the worst. Lots of people think Sim Audio is wonderful. Others don't.

It's useless to attempt to evaluate an amp when you mismatch components or use that as proof of why "system" is all important. I'm not talking about mismatches. For the premise of this thread to be without merit would require there is never a similar character or house sound from gear produced by a particular factory. I think you will have a difficult time convincing many of that.

The originator of the thread likes McCormack and I used Bryston to compare as an example since it is also a very popular and well regarded company. It's likely Bryston fans will most always prefer them over a McCormack because they like that sound and vice versa. Let your own ears decide based on your subjective preference.

OK, some explanations from the Thread initiator!!!

I guess I am being somewhat critized here for my immensely personnal biases. Fair enough. This thread is intended for the Audiogoner with the following profile. And in my book this means (again, highly subjective of course)

1. The Audiophile with between 3 to 5 years and more in this crazy hobby.

2. Someone who owned anywhere from 6 to 12 diferent amplifiers - tube or solid-state, and a few different preamps.

3. Decent-quality digital front-ends and cables.

4. A definitive allergy to any Air Supply or George Michael music in tape, cd, SACD or DVD form ( let's include FM on this one ok? )

3. Someone who would find it hard to choose between spending a year on a desert island with Jennifer Lopez and getting a pair of Valhalla interconnects on loan for a week, just to try them out.

Joking aside, my perception of value in audio gear is not without some experience, although I am not an ''experienced'' audiophile compared to most out there, and certainly not a ''wheeler dealer'' on the buy-sell-buy merry-go-round, although have done a few dealings myself, but purchased and sold my amps due to the ''insatisfaction'' bug that seems to develop with audiophiles - you know - getting good stuff but still searching for flaws ?

Just for the record, here is a partial list of past equipement owned in the last 10 years.

Sonic Frontiers Power 1 with Line 1
Sonic Frontiers Power 2 with line 1 and also line 2
Sim audio I-5 first generation
Sima audio I-5 latest generation (now that's a dumb mistake didn't learn my lesson the first time...)
Magnum Dynalab MD-208 ( sorry, but the Stereophile class''A'' rating is a complete joke )
Cary 572 monoblocks with Cary preamp
McCormack DNA-125
Electrocompaniet EC-3
Audiomat Arpège
Naim Nait2
Naim preamp and amp combo

Now, these are not state-of-the-art by any stretch of the imagination, but I did have state-of-the-art speakers to evaluate these amps. I was very lucky to own a magnificient pair of Verity Audio Parsifal speakers for a period of 3 years. Now that's a $ 15,000 (retail)speaker that, beleive me, makes great music but above all can reveal the naked truth of the amps I had the pleasure to own. I no longer own them, as I have Sonus Faber speakers (Grand Piano Home). Not in the same league of course, but having lived with the Verity speaker for these years gave me some training in separating speakers that sounded musical from the ones that sounded just spectacular for a brief moment. The Sonus Faber line is up there in musicality in my opinion, and one could do much worst for a whole lot more money. They just don't do as much as the megabuck speakers do and have few flaws. I do invite you to read my review posted here on the Verity Audio Parsifal, a truely amazing speaker.

So, in closing, everything is still highly subjective and personnal, I just did not want people to think that this thread was initiated without giving it some thought....

Cheers everyone!

Your taste in speakers is much like mine, I would guess. I would love to have Parsifals or Sonus Fabers, although I don't know the GP Home at all. I will remember that you think Sim and Aronov amps are a poor combination with these, next time I get a chance to hear them.

Just for the record, I don't think Aronov are bad amplifiers. It's just that in my humble opinion they are not as good value as others. On the value ladder, it's just that the top rungs dot not belong to the Aronov. My personnal experience with them: loose bass, unclear imaging and humming transformers. But do remember I had a very revealing set of speakers....playing the same through $ 1,500 PSB speakers my prove to be very different.