Solid State vs. Tubes - What if Transistors came first?

Live acoustic music is not tubelike or SS.  It is somewhere between the two in many ways.  It is not exceptionally rounded or flat, overly warm or cold or particularly rolled off nor piercing.  It is clear, undistorted, unconfined and full of dynamic shadings.  It is unique unto itself.  There is certainly no imaging per se either.  SS and tubes can convey certain aspects of a live performance but can not fully reproduce it.  Large events use SS amplification, but no matter what amplification would be used, the venue itself has a larger sonic imprint.  That’s why there are great sounding Symphony Halls and terrible sounding ones.  Seats within venues alter your perception of fidelity.  For home, many variables must be in harmony to achieve a reasonable level of fidelity to the source.  Far more than just Tubes or SS in the signal path.  Of course, you also need to be able to hear pitch and tone with reasonable acuity.

Computers and digiheads are overtaking everything. Half the jobs are associated with taking care of computers. But there are islands of resistance. You are not audiophile if you listen in digital what was recorded in analog. Tubes/transistors is a complicated subject.

In addition, I have found that SS amplification requires more attention to power supply/AC quality.  Cable design is also more imperative toward maximizing sound quality with SS components.  Either technology can deliver pleasing results.  One thing that has always seemed to consistently sound better to my ears, was the use of Class A or high bias A/B high current designs.  Large power supplies also seem to offer better dynamics.

That is what I, kind of, thought, too. The point between tubes and SS ends up being no point at all, if we are trying to reproduce the actual live event. Too many other variables get involved. To start, unless it is classical music, even "acoustic" one does get through some mode of electronic processing almost all the time. Not while playing guitar at home, but any venue bigger than a living room or so. Chasing some sound with tubes or transistors does not do much for actual reproduction. And that is for live performances which are maybe a smaller percentage of music sold. Who on Earth knows how something was supposed to sound in that studio half the world away? Good news is that these days it is getting to electronic sounds anyway so we do not even need to talk about "more natural".

My previous post was because I happen to have been at that particular Leonard Cohen concert and that song was the highlight of the evening. I remember it really vividly as does probably everyone who was there. There is no way that any equipment at home would reproduce it. Tubes or SS. First someone has to built a sports arena and then damp it with a few thousand people and their winter coats. Traps, corner contraptions, and first reflection things just would not cut it. Until that happens, it is all just babbling, I think. Otherwise, I think SS is much more convenient as it does not require changes. Just like automatic transmission is. I am not sure about cables etc.

erik

Nice post. I guess we have solved the controversy.....have we not?