McIntosh Tube amps or Solid State?? Advices needed!!

Tubes! BTW, tubes last for years without needing to be replaced!
https://medium.com/collectors-weekly/could-an-old-school-tube-amp-make-the-music-you-love-sound-bett...

I’m using a Cambridge Audio Azur 851N as a DAC/preamp/streamer.   

So seems like most people like sounds of tubes.  

Thanks @yogiboy for the article. Its very informative.  

For sure buy a beast and then decent speakers...you should end up with decent beastly sound.......is that what you are after? 

Try the side-by-side thing suggested above. It should reveal the differences between the products. Although my personal experience with that brand is not positive regarding transparency and accuracy of reproducing the recorded information, you will figure it out IN YOUR ROOM. Best way, and most of all, enjoy the music you like.

Re tubes wearing out VS solid state--they all have life cycles. If you listen 24/7/365, your tubes will have to be replaced occasionally, but the solid state will fail suddenly if it is typical. When? You just never know, but tubes typically have some MTBF rates published by the manufacturer in their specific model number.

Cheers!

I'm a Tube Guy.  I can say that the last 4 times I heard a McIntosh solid-state setup at RMAF, I couldn't last in the room for a full song.  Nothing good at all.