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SS vs Tube: What do you hear?

Peter Aczel, editor of The Audio Critic, says "Whatever vacuum tubes can do in a piece of audio equipment, solid-state devices can do better, at lower cost, with greater reliability" (issue 26, p5). What do you hear which causes you to select tubes over ss, or vice versa?
128x128cmjones
jhill2202c3
3 posts
 
Space. Three dimensionality. I prefer them in the preamp stage. I like Classe and Krell SS poweramps.
jerie's avatar
jerie
54 posts
 
Tubes bring a sweet liquidity to the presentation that solid state just can't match. I agree with Jhill22@kc.rr.com. I love a tube front end with solid state amplification. I really like Classe and Rowland amps. I think The Audio Critic does his best to stir controversy as he sees conspiracies everywhere and of all the audio publications I read, I take his with a lot of salt followed with a margarita or two!
mcom7
7 posts
 
ditto for me. Like the tube pre-amp/solid state amp approach. instruments and voices seem to gain a "body". Not that solid state sounds bad, just different. I think solid state may measure better in some areas than tube such as distortion measurments, and with solid state there is no tube to replace periodically..but good tube units measure adequately, and tubes can last a long time. The sound is different slightly and you owe it to yourself to see if it makes any difference to =YOU=
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