Tube Equipment: Gimmick?

Slappy, what do tubes "sound" like? My OTL amp sounds extremely transparent with musical bass, textured mids and the best high frequency extension I have ever heard. Saying it is a matter of preference depends on your experience and perspective to carry any weight.

I understand why some people say "some people prefer the tube sound". Personally I think it is because they have not heard the best tube equipment. The best tubes don't have a "sound". The equipment is transparent with textured mids, extended highs... not overly warm mids like some people think "tubes sound like" or are supposed to sound like.

That's just not it. And it is the primary reason why a lot of people never come to realize what tube owners lucky enough to own quality equipment already know. And it is also why most tube owners would never go back to solid state.

I like broccoli.

It's an awesome colonic catalyst that's useful while levitating your girlfriend off the bed when you give her a Dutch Oven.

If your tube equipment is on while you perform, the extra warmth in the room enhances the sweet aroma.

Slappy,

The point is this: There is good tube gear out there, and these sales people at your local retail stores, and electronic ignorants ( who are educated beyond their own intelligence ) are living in the past. They are still giving us the same sales pitch SS promoted, when all the mainstream stereo manufacturers gave us when they made the switch to SS.

Tube equipment is more pleasing to the ear, is just that simple. SS gear is irritating to the ear, I don't care if it is Kell, Plinus, Levinson, ARC, or who ever. The fact is this, your ears are irradiated by SS gear. Maybe one won't notice if only listening for a short while. But hours of listening does produce a slight irritation on SS gear.

Also the mass market must tell you that tube gear just plain sucks. And they must brain-wash their sales people into thinking this. If they didn't then millions of people would be crying for tube gear again. And we certainly couldn't have that now, could we? I think ( just like in my case ) if we lined people up and gave them a listen to good tube gear. There would be a major revival on the audio market.

Jax2,

Please kindly watch your mouth, I find your profanity appalling This is a audio forum, not your local bar :)

Slappy is spot-on KT88. There are a whole butt-load (whoops, hope I didn't offend you there) of SS-loving Audiophiles out there who are anything but irritated by there SS systems. You seem to mistake YOUR opinion for EVERYONE's opinion, and even more dangerous, for fact. That said, I happen to agree with your opinion regarding tube gear and the naievety (where's the spell-check when you need it?) of the general public towards it. I don't know if tubes were panhandled to the public by the sales-people you so readily lump into a pigeon-hole in the floor of an outhouse, whether it would be as widely accepted as you might think. I think the maintenance issues would keep it from being so embraced. Most folks just don't want to fuss with the stuff, they just want to get their pretty metal box home, hook it up and plug it in (for some, that's a bit too much), and walk away while the 200-disk player spits out song-after-song. I don't think hearing tubes is going to change that for most. Just my opinion though...

OK, now I'll go wash my hands with strong soap after typing all those nasty and offensive posts. After that I'll stay after and compose an essay why the use of offensive language should be confined to local bars and brothels. Send me your address KT88 and I'll send you a copy. Please, in the mean time, accept my most humble appologies and let me assure you that it will most certainly happen again.....I just can't help it....somebody, get me a doctor!

Marco

Jax2,

I find your sarcasm both annoying and refreshing. An oxymoron I know. But life is an oxymoron, or better still a paradox. Yet I continue in my passion, and also my obssesion to find the truth.

The fact that you choose to use profanity is of course YOUR choice. but it is also the CHOICE of the people around you not to hear IT. This is after all a community site, and you have no right to impose your profanity on people here. No more than you have the right to smoke a cigarette in a public establishment.

But of course I know how you are feeling about me BEING OFFENDED by your profanity. I once employed the use of profanity in my life. And of course I was quite offended when people were offended to my use of it. The same way I was offended when someone was offended by my cigarette smoke. I couldn't understand how someone could be offended by my choice of words, or my cigarette smoke until I decided to stop using vulgar language, and stopped smoking. Then I could easily see how both were offensive.

I'm sure there are things in your life that other people do, that you find offensive? But perhaps if you talk to them, they don't find them offensive, nor can they understand why you find them offensive.

Well, I won't comment any further. If you want to continue this theme, maybe you should read the " forum guide lines "

peace........