Is solid state on the brink of extinction?

Unsound, your adult approach to dialogue is refreshing.

There are many models of Apogees. I have happily run some on 100 watt tube amps. All are 4 ohm speakers, or greater, except the Scintilla. Why do I choose the Scintilla? Because it is the finest of all Apogees. I was well aware of it's amp requirements when I bought them.

I am glad that you have heard Apogees. Your characterization of suppressed higher frequencies puzzles me. I have read everything I can find on Apogees, and not once have I heard that criticism before. It certainly doesn't apply to my experience either.

I would think all dipoles require careful positioning. I know for certain, the Scintilla will lose it's highs if wrongly positioned. Maybe that was the case when you heard them.

I have heard just about every speaker out there, and I have yet to yearn for any. The highs in my system extend to out of hearing naturally, without a hint of beaming.

I am absolutely certain the eAR will fit into any system. Obviously it has the power needed for any load. It is beautifully built. Because of the lack of needing heavy heat sinks, or giant transformers, there are big cost savings.

The eAR doesn't sound anything like other digital amps I have heard, including TacT, and the EVO. It really sounds like the finest tubes, only clearer still, with a serious grip on the bass driver. The eAR's mid range dynamics are better than anything I have heard elsewhere. It is in a space of it's own.

So far, people who were ready to hand the cash in, and walk out the door with my X600 blocks, have scoffed at the idea they should listen to the eAR. I have to admit, it is a hard sell. I am not saying people will come around quickly.

I predict as more of us adopt digitals, the faster the movement will spread. Even now, digital amps are being designed for market by many amp manufacturers. I believe they will flood the market within a year.

A group of us (converts all) did take the eAR to a Martin Logan owner's place. In the past, we had listened to the Jolida 1000, Pass X150, Sonic Frontier, and a Llano 300 on the MLs. We all agreed, the eAR bested the lot of them on the Martin Logan.

Cheers

Muralman, the sublety of the above posts is obviously lost on you so let me, the "feisty one", spell it out. You come across as a shill (look it up). You would have us believe that a discontinued speaker generously described as notorious now powered by a "revolutionary" amp only sold "factory-direct" defines the "state of the art". Who can replicate your experience? And why would we take your "word" when you so easily confuse dB with Hz in your posts? And your obsequious email to Acoustic Reality as "Vince" 11/03 undermines your veracity to the point that I must ask: What financial stake do you have in the North American distribution of Acoustic Reality products? Better yet, where can I find these gems at CES next month?

Khrys,
Muralman has been posting on these boards for quite a long time, and his posts usually revolve around the Apogee speakers. There is really nothing to suggest that Muralman is as shill; if he were one it would be for the defunct Apogee corporation. He has also praised Pass labs many times. The tone of his posts are also inconsistent with having been suborned.
I personally appreciate when a audiogon member chooses to share his experience with a "new" technology, (although this technology is not new). As in many other circumstances, the reader needs to temper his acceptance of proferred opinions with the knowledge that enthusiasm might be tainting the objectivity of the observations. Nevertheless, in regard to the subject at hand ,there is considerable interest in these digital amps, and some people have reacted very passionately to them, suggesting much more vehemently than muralman, that ,for example, the ps audio is better than almost any amp available. In the last several weeks there have been treads about the carver pro 1600 and some sort of giant killing panasonic receiver. My undestanding is that Rowland is also thinking of marketing an amp based on this technology. Thus, I think it is great that muralman has shared his experience. Of course there are shills on this board but they are usually easy to spot, (first time posters, those recommending expensive mods performed only by one company etc). I ,for one, would hope that everyone would be feel free to share there experiences without apprehension of being unfairly maligned

As I see it, Muralman has maintained a long-term relaionship with his Apogees. He now seems to have found an amp that mates perfectly with his long term partner and his enthusiasm knows no bounds. As fellow audiophiles we should be happy for Muralman.

Btw, the title of his post is kind of silly since these digital amps are solid state amps.

The "tube sound" and the "solid state sound" relate to the
distortion spectrum characteristic of these devices when used in a linear amplifier.

In a digital amplifier, the characteristics of the ouput devices, tubes or transistors, are irrelevant because they are full on or full off all of the time. The output devices could be relays if you could find ones that switch fast enough. Any sonic characteristic is the result of the algorithms used to control the output devices.