Well, it’s been a while since I looked at this thread. And internet fora are nothing if there aren’t Divergent opinions expressed, right? Having said that, I will recommend that with respect to your power amp question you seek out a white paper which is on the Sanders sound systems website on transistors versus tubes or solid state versus tubes. IMHO this will help you understand some of the important differences between tube and solid state power amps.
The next point I want to share (and its just my opinion) is that a good tube preamp can make an ENORMOUS difference in the sound of a system. IMHO it is better than not using a preamp, or only using a passive volume control. I don’t have a technical basis for this opinion but I can tell you that I’m not the only one who has this opinion.
Personally, I am very much in favor of the small artisan, designer/Builder such as the the Haviland, or the don sacks, or the supratek. You’re just paying for the parts and skilled labor to design and build the equipment. You’re not paying for staff meetings, fancy buildings, inventory control systems, email systems, accounting departments, shipping departments, management salaries, marketing, Etc. I have nothing against the larger companies, but I have worked for big companies and I know that all that money for all those salaries has to come from somewhere.
You asked about why point-to-point wiring is important. I don’t think I can really answer that. I did enjoy Kevin Deal’s video on YouTube in which he raves it up. I have read what Mike Maloney has to stay on the Supratek website and he basically says that point-to-point wiring simply sounds better. That he’s tried to make preamps with printed circuit boards but they just sound boring, Flat, plastic and two dimensional By comparison. I know that all the people that use point-to-point wiring are hardcore, hard-headed, Fanatics. That’s the kind of person that I want to do business with. That’s the kind of person I want building my s***.
