Tubes vs Solid State - Imaging, Soundstaging, 3D

One point that I have found undeniable over the years is that a rather large majority of speaker designers use robust solid state amplification. The reason could be as simple as tubes begin to degenerate the moment they are turned on and by comparison, solid state is more stable or constant for comparative listening and measurement purposes.

Another area of the audio industry were the preferable stability of solid state is used predominantly is in recording and post production studios. It's my experience that heavy handed producers can suck the life out of a recording in post. The experienced producers actually create the sound stage you're comparing by using discreetly recorded tracks mixed to place their location. The depth of the stage can come from many combinations of reverberation, compression, and digital manipulation.

Regardless, our combination of room and components is what defines the stages end result. As always in this hobby everything matters and the exact same stuff won't sound the same in a different room.

To quote my favorite Bartender, "So, what's it gonna be today?"

Tubes degenerate very slightly over time and there is no significant audible change until they wear out, conventional (or convenient) myths notwithstanding. Tubes are more fun, and tube amp owners are usually better looking people likely due to the fact that they are having more fun. The one exception is that tube amp owners may have singed fingers from trying to dust around their tubes when hot. Harmonic distortion content is the primary difference tonally between tube and SS amps (2nd order, 3rd order, lunch order), and note that SS amp advertising hype says "tube like" exactly 37 times more often than tube amp hype says "SS like." The biggest advantage of tubes is the ability to enjoy "tube rolling" as it is the rare SS amp owner that says, "Marge, I'm heading out to the transistor store to score a set of Mitsubishis for the Onkyo." My tube amp images so well I've actually gone through what I thought must be the Carnegie Hall exit only to fall into my hot tub.

Wolf,
Very funny post , tube's life like imaging can be a potential hazzard. Be careful and pay attention to those virtual exit signs.

I find it amusing when tube guys bang on about how much "fun"
they have stuffing around checking tube hours and rolling tubes to get
better performance. Audiophiles who buy SS amps which offer similarly
rich, holographic sound as the best tube gear without the maintenance
issues simply spend more time enjoying music and leading a balanced life.
Then there is the fact high end SS amps generally have higher current,
lower noise (and therefore better low level detail) and can more easily
control a difficult speaker load. Also did you notice Wolf didn't comment on
how much fun it is charging his Visa card for the cost of his replacement
tubes? SS guys simply put that money toward their mortgage or next
holiday.

10-19-13: Charles1dad
Wolf,
Very funny post ....

+1.

On another note, I'd like to emphasize to everyone that the OP has referred to using speakers and amplifiers and/or integrated amplifiers that are each in the $1K to $5K price class. And he has asked a specific question about imaging. It seems to me that generalized debates about the merits of tubes vs. solid state are not on point.

Regards,
-- Al