Affordable SS that sound like Tubes

After fifty years of pursuing the high end… the first forty with solid state amps.. I will not go back to solid state. I found that tube amps can be incredibly reliable and more importantly musical.

When I was working I put about 600 hours a year on my system. That would require retubing about every five years.

I now listen a lot more and have replaced four tubes in the last three years, one DOA and three at normal maintenance time.

This is not even in the ball Park to best of Anything ,but maybe on a budget. In its day 30 years ago I agree was very good ,but cannot match todays far superior capacitors , volume attenuators resistors by todays standards vs say a pass labs ,Ayre, Luxman it cannot compete on any level. 
if you like old gear fine , just look at the volume pot ,a scratch pot alps type volume 

which is a noise maker totally robs low level detail and resolution .having owned a Audio store for a decade , and knowing parts quality very well and modding over 20 years some companies still use these $20 pieces of rubbish , a resistor stepped attenuator , or relay is far lower noise and is not a liability , just for starters ,before buying anything if you see a integrated amp,or preamp look for a round silver pot 

prima luna has a $5k preamp built well except went cheap at the output ,motorized Alps or Bourne volume pot ,inside2 plastic wipers with a metalized spray coating just to save a few bucks not very sound.

@audioman58 

Sorry… what are you responding to? I have no idea… I doubt I am alone.

I was responding to Sansui Alpha competing with todays much better parts technologies it cannot compete  ,but it was a very good product in its day .

@audioman58

I get that. I remember hearing great Sansui equipment when I was in college in the 70’s before I discovered / could afford high end equipment. Then over the ensuing fifty years equipment has become better and better. But it is hard to argue because in 1973 I was just too stoned to be sure if it was the equipment or my state of mind.