Our we Lazy?


I want to start this thread by clearly stating that the purpose of this question was not to fight or rehash the battle of tube vs. solidstate as one being ultimately superior or better than the other one.I hope that besides personnal taste and the different "flavors" listeners enjoy, along with system matching, there is agreement that in the last ten to fifteen years that reference tube and solidstate amps sound very much alike and more like real music. The days of euphonic warm or detailed but harsh-bright sonic signatures are gone when it comes to world class amps.When my audiofile friends and I discuss power amps we always come back to these questions;1}With the finest solidstate amps[Pass Labs,Rowland,Ayre,Edge,etc.]sounding so terrific, why put up with the hassle of re-tubing,getting the right tubes NOS etc.,and the expense of re-tubing on a on going basis?I guess one man's "tube rolling" for pleasure is another man's pain in the butt.2}The sound of a tube amp changes over time as the tubes age, why put up with this hassle when it can be avoided? We like the fact that a solidstate amp will preform at its optimial level everytime we listen to our systems. Please you all, these questions are sincere and not an attack on tube amps or their owners.As stated already the goal was not to fight over something that is obvious ,world class amps are world class amps regardless if there tube or solidstate! We have listened to wonderful sounding tube amps[VTL,LAMM,ARC,CJ,etc.]and thought they were great, however they offered no special virtues that would lead us to put up with what we regard as "hassles" compared with solidstate amps. We would love to hear from our fellow GON members regarding this topic and what has been your experience regarding this topic.Let's not fight but have FUN sharing our opinions and viewpionts on this topic. Remember we might just be "Lazy" audiofiles who rationalize our own position on this matter!
teajay
i think it is more of a phobia than laziness for avoiding tubes. in my opinion:

1. useful life of good tubes, with average use, ranges from 2 years to 10 years. i have even read of tubes lasting 20+ years.
2. tube rolling is similar to choosing cables, which can be more costly. but tubes usually make more impact. (sorry for side tracking)
3. solid state is like tube gear with permanent, super long lasting tubes, but without the extra flexibility to fine tune and match other gear.
4. plenty of excellent auto bias tube gear available
5. some class a solid state can get just as hot as tubes

so i strongly suggest choosing gear based on sonics, and not relegate the flexibility of tubes to hassles.
Ease of use vs performance has been with humans for a long time. Its still not a good excuse though. If the goal of this hobby is to get as close to the recorded sound as possible, then ease of use issues have to be tolerated in that quest, to some degree at least.

As reliable as the tubes I listen to are, fiddling is a non-issue. It simply not something I have to do. So I get the performance without any convenience issues. IMMV, but if the tube amp is properly built, this will always be the case.

I have yet to hear a transistor amp sound better, and the price/performance curves of the two technologies indicate that the same differences we discuss now will be discussed 2 generations from now.

The only thing that might change that would be the appearance of a new technology, which is not in the marketplace yet.

Conclusion: if you can't deal with tubes- don't. If you want performance like real music, tubes are the deal- so deal with it.
Ciscomc, I'm intrigued by your system. Should I ever need/desire to move from tubes it's good to know the GamuT works well with the E's (which I have).
I agree with ElizabethÂ…..

The Forte Model 4's compare very favorably to just about any amp at any price, tube or solid state. They simply do not possess the dreaded transistor harshness that tube lovers hate, and justifiably so. There are not many solid state OR tube amps I like... at any price. It's all about seamlessly passing all the musical detail without introducing a harsh edge. The Forte Model 4's do this exceedingly well.

ONE BELIEF CONNECTS MOST OF US... an amp should be seen, not heard. Don't knock the little Forte until you try it. I suggest those who doubt it, try a side-by-side blind test.