2. amps-preamps
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Our we Lazy?

I want to start this thread by clearly stating that the purpose of this question was not to fight or rehash the battle of tube vs. solidstate as one being ultimately superior or better than the other one.I hope that besides personnal taste and the different "flavors" listeners enjoy, along with system matching, there is agreement that in the last ten to fifteen years that reference tube and solidstate amps sound very much alike and more like real music. The days of euphonic warm or detailed but harsh-bright sonic signatures are gone when it comes to world class amps.When my audiofile friends and I discuss power amps we always come back to these questions;1}With the finest solidstate amps[Pass Labs,Rowland,Ayre,Edge,etc.]sounding so terrific, why put up with the hassle of re-tubing,getting the right tubes NOS etc.,and the expense of re-tubing on a on going basis?I guess one man's "tube rolling" for pleasure is another man's pain in the butt.2}The sound of a tube amp changes over time as the tubes age, why put up with this hassle when it can be avoided? We like the fact that a solidstate amp will preform at its optimial level everytime we listen to our systems. Please you all, these questions are sincere and not an attack on tube amps or their owners.As stated already the goal was not to fight over something that is obvious ,world class amps are world class amps regardless if there tube or solidstate! We have listened to wonderful sounding tube amps[VTL,LAMM,ARC,CJ,etc.]and thought they were great, however they offered no special virtues that would lead us to put up with what we regard as "hassles" compared with solidstate amps. We would love to hear from our fellow GON members regarding this topic and what has been your experience regarding this topic.Let's not fight but have FUN sharing our opinions and viewpionts on this topic. Remember we might just be "Lazy" audiofiles who rationalize our own position on this matter!
teajay
1markr
594 posts
 
From my perspective, I have been at this tube vs. SS crossroad for the past few months with my own system.

I have been using tube amps (very good ones at that) over the last three years, along with tubed preamps and tubed CD players / DACs. Over this past winter, I have met some good audiophile friends who helped me form a better educated opinion on this very topic for myself. They have either SS or hybrid systems that sounded simply wonderful, and I would be happy with either of their systems as my own.

In the meantime, my own system has become too complicated to just sit down and listen! My wife wouldn't touch it, and I found myself obsessed with tube rolling and biasing, re-biasing (perhaps a little too anal about it), and spent much time "waiting" for tube amps to warm up the requisite hour or more. I just wasn't having any fun anymore, and wasn't "enjoying the music". Perhaps I lost sight of what was most important.

I decided to get back into SS amplification, while maintaining my wonderful tubed front end. A great decision that was, as it turns out. I have not given up the flexibility of tailoring the sound to what I like, and I have not lost much of the tube virtues. I have gained some needed SS attributes (e.g. less noise, better bass, less heat output, etc.). Maybe I'm just lucky with the new synergy in my re-vamped system, but I'm sure enjoying what I'm hearing now, as well as the simplicity!
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artizen65
272 posts
 
Elizabeth,

I firmly agree with your possition. Although I will admit that I own the MF TRI-VISTA DAC.
rmacdon
5 posts
 
I have both solid state and tube equipment. I definite lean towards tube equipment. But I really do enjoy my Gaincard amp. I leave it on 24/7 for not much expense. If I want some tunes for a few minutes it is ready to go. An I can understand words in songs better when I am in that mood. Tube equipment usually takes 20+ minutes to warm-up and it is more work screwing around with the tubes/replacement. The sound is great though. For reliability, it was the solid state Gaincard amp that broke. Toggle switch went out.
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nsgarch
2,524 posts
 
For all the above reasons (as always, stated most concisely by Elizabeth) and one more, I finally gave up my beloved toobies.

The "one more"? I live in Tucson, Arizona!
Anybody know of an amp that produces COOL?
jafox
1,452 posts
 
Unfortunately this thread is becoming a tube vs. SS debate rather than posts by people who have heard and owned many of the great solid state and tube amps and know very well the strengths of each. I thought the point of this thread was to determine why us tube amp owners put up with the "hassles" and not just abandon ship to SS.

Pure and simple, I have yet to hear a SS amp that portrays the decay of notes in such a realistic fashion as do some tube amps. And even more so, this is true for a SS preamp. And no, please don't blame this decay characterization as "tube distortion".

Elizabeth: 100 million dollars before you're willing to try a tube amp? Geez, I'd be willing to try a SS amp if I won only $10. Ok ok, I own SS amps too. 8-) Trying a tube amp is not like getting the measles.

As for hassles with tube amps, I have had my share of problems with solid state amps as well....those darn caps shorting now and then! As for tube replacement hassles, well yes, it can be a few hundred $$ every 4-5 years, but all you do is take the "dirty" tube out of the socket and put in a "clean" one - it's sort of like doing your laundry.

Keeping an amp on for years and years says a lot about its reliability. But I suspect the Forte does not even come close to the performance of the great solid state amps of today. So how anyone can say they are not willing to try one of the great tube amps in their system when they do not have a SOTA SS in their system does not seem to be giving the tube world a fair shake. It's all about musical enjoyment. Why does this have to be such a polar issue?

Unless I was willing to pay at least $1k for an amp on the used market, I would stick with solid state myself. For music-only, I use an all-tubed system. For a HT based system in another room, it is all solid state. This allows me to experience what I feel are the best of both worlds for two different but equally enjoyable applications.

John
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