Class "A" solid state vs. Tube amp.?

Tubegroover, while I have the utmost respect for ARC products in terms of delivering good sound I frankly prefer the honest straightforward gain provided by the ss amps I listed. I have done sufficient comparisons of tubes vs. ss to conclude that the sweetness in the mids is unnecessary if the source is good, and in addition the compromise is too high when the system is reproducing more demanding passages. For the money, I remain convinced that you can easily match the ARC sound or best it (e.g. the GamuT)without the inherent hassles and practical limitations of tubes. Having said that, if your preference is for small ensemble music or vocals I can understand that a good tube amp will make for a very enjoyable musical experience that could cost many $$$ in top notch ss front end.

Hi Joe_coherent. Your statements do not offend me in the least. I have the Marsh amp for back up amp or to use when using speakers that require More power than my SET amps. The Marsh amp is a fine sounding amp considering that it is ss. But it is the one that has the colorations when comparing to my other tube amps. I could not disagree with you more. Though I do disagree with you I certainly respect your opinion.

Joe it is ironic that I find the opposite to be true so far as dynamics in complex music. The power supply of the amp will dictate whether or not it runs out of gas on busy and dynamic passages of full orchestral music. The VT-100 MK2 provides in the neighborhood of 500+ Joules filter capacitance which would make it hard to imagine that it would ever run out of steam and probably would compare favorably with most 200 watt solid state amps out there. My D-115 Mk2 by comparison has a total of 280 Joules and I NEVER hear congestion or compression during busy passages. But then again my speakers are very efficient and have a very flat frequency response across the band with no serious impedence dips. My MC-60 while not as extended at the frequency extremes as most solid state amps, still deliver the power. Filter capacitance is over 250 Joules each amp, they have been modified. They also never sound congested or compressed and offer better bass slam if not definition than the D-115 Mk2. The tube amps, to my ears, offer a better rendering of the micro macro dynamic swings that are evident in live music. This is another area where they excel. The one area where solid state is generally better is in the area of bass slam which eludes most tube amps of similar power. High frequency extention and smoothness is also quite good in the best designs. That said, I still think the ARC amps are superb in the area of bass definition. It is my understanding, although I haven’t heard myself yet, that OTL amps are even better in this area. I hope to find out soon. Once again a matter of taste and preference.

Dekay i have Sony ES XA7ES Balanced! Krell cav-300, and Dynaudio 1,1! Thanks!

I sure hope a tube pre-amp and tubed player make a difference in my system. I just bought both hoping to bring the "tube" sound to my system. Would have a tube amp also but my Hales speakers really are not tube friendly. Have to stick with my Aragon SS. :<