Will digital amps make analog amps obsolete?

They will win a lot of fans. I've been running both push-pull and SET's for the last 6 years. They were both great sounding and great fun. They were also expensive,hot, and somewhat tweaky. My PS Audio, HCA 2 does a great job driving my maggies with out the above mentioned hassles. It doesn't have the old downsides I remember of SS - etched treble and electronic haze that I used to hear even with the best SS amps of 6-7 years ago. There will always be great tube amps and tube amp lovers, but there are more than a few tube guys out there who are giving digital amps a try.

Yes, please sell me your "obsolete" tube amps

Analog amps wouldn't be obsolete, but if the digital/Class D Pulse Width Modulation amps like the Spectron continue to improve and offer sound quality that equals or exceeds power hungry analog amps, it will become harder to justify using these expensive room heaters.

There will always be audiophiles that like all the bits and pieces of a complex hiend audio system and will continue to use them.

For the music lover, digital systems will simplfy things and make it easier to get high quality sound for a lot
less money and lower operating cost.

Has digital music formats made analog formats obsolete?

This is a very interesting thread because it raises many more questions. What I find equally interesting is the lack of coverage from the audio magazine press. It is as if they fear to really touch it, to explore who is doing "what" with it (the different typologies of using pulse width modulation). The Hovland may be using exactly this form of technology...all hush hush of course.

Prfont, I also have maggies, 1.6 qr's, and I am looking for an amp to drive them. It seems as though you are recommending PS audio's digital amp, am I right. What maggie do you have and what do you hear from the PS audio that has made you switch from tubes.

I would deeply appreciate if you can share any of your thinking about this.

Thanks for your help>

Best-Richard