Tubes vs Solid State - Imaging, Soundstaging, 3D

Having used Tube based preamp(s) for years, and in general having avoided like the plague the notion of Tube based power Amplifier(s), I got a bit of an awakening recently.

My reason for avoiding Tube based power amps are all the standard reasons, maintenance, heat etc.etc.

A perfect storm recently occurred in my life and for whatever reason I decided to replace my ss monoblocks with tube based monoblocks.

I was literally shocked at the difference! I would never have guessed that in 2013 there could be this much variation between great SS and great Tube electronics.

Different strokes and all, so I'm not even going to enter into any kind of tube/vs ss and which is "best". suffice it to say I strongly prefer the tubes. Others could and I'm sure would prefer the SS.

Personally, I see NO downside whatsoever to the tube amps. (other than of course heat, but my old SS amps were high-bias, and they threw a fair amount of heat also) Bass, imaging, focus, balance, depth are all as good or better in the tube amp. And, there is simply as one would expect FAR more what I call "harmonic richness" to the music. Call it euphoric coloration or whatever you want, the tube amp simply adds and/or extracts more meat on the bones of the music. Violin is a perfect example, it's a different instrument all of a sudden.

The added tube "lushness" would I thought always come at the expense of some level of detail. Not in this case, These are razor sharp, with no added harshness.

Just my own personal 2cents worth, I only wish I'd have done this years ago!

Hi Michaelkingdom,
Keep in mind that you may just simply prefer SS amplifiers as some others
do. Don't forget that the particular speaker in use plays a major role
regarding amplifier compatibility. My experiences are very different from
your own, I found well designed tube amplifiers to be as transparent, clear
and resolved as any transistor amp. The advantage I discovered with tubes
is a purity, natrualness and realism that the transistors couldn't equal.
Tubes have the tonal vibrancy and truthfulness that were closer(not
identical) to the real thing for me. With the many transistor amps I've heard
I was always keenly ware the sound is reproduced and a bit more artificial
("canned"). The tubes were more convincing of reality that I
consistently hear with live instruments and vocalists.

As with what Islandmandan said, the SET amps took the tube convincing
realism to an even higher level, I fully understand what Dan is presently
appreciating. The point is each of us will have differences in hearing
perspectives and interpretation. Some will relate to my personal listening
experiences and quite naturally others will not.
The suggestions given here to try various types of signal and power tubes
is wise advice. You can substantially change a amplifier's character and
sound by doing this.
If SS amplifiers continue to impress you more tht means you've found your
direction and that's the route for you.
Best of Luck,

**** I found well designed tube amplifiers to be as transparent, clear
and resolved as any transistor amp. The advantage I discovered with tubes
is a purity, natrualness and realism that the transistors couldn't equal.
Tubes have the tonal vibrancy and truthfulness that were closer(not
identical) to the real thing for me. With the many transistor amps I've heard
I was always keenly ware the sound is reproduced and a bit more artificial
("canned"). The tubes were more convincing of reality that I
consistently hear with live instruments and vocalists. **** - Charles1dad

Rayooo, that coloration you call in the midrange is not a coloration to me at all. I could say the same thing for the less color or lean character of the solid state amp and call that a coloration as well. The whole point is to portray the instruments as life like as possible and if that is a coloration then live instruments with their beautiful rich tone is a coloration as well. I don't know why a lot of people fight this very issue, perhaps they don't go to live classical concerts or to jazz clubs. Whatever the reason I'm glad you discovered tubes and all I can say is enjoy.

Michaelkingdom
In my experience, SS always seems to image more sharply and offer the deepest, clearest field....

I am using an Octave V40se with Svetlana Winged C EL34s. The Gold Lions were reissues in a Cary SLI-80 signature.

To the extent that it may be safe to generalize, given that there will inevitably be exceptions, my perception has been that the prevailing viewpoint among experienced audiophiles is that a particular strong point of tube amplification tends to be imaging and dimensionality. And that has certainly been my experience, and the experience of several of the others who have responded.

We can only speculate as to why your experience has been the opposite. Perhaps the speakers you have used with the two tube integrateds are not ideal matches for tube amplification, as was suggested earlier. Also, the Octave amplifier is unusual in that it provides only a single output tap, which is ostensibly suited to a wide range of load impedances, but who knows what tradeoffs that might entail with any given speaker.

Also, do you feel confident that your combination of speaker positioning, listening position, room configuration and acoustics, and the radiation patterns of the speakers you have used with the tube amps is conducive to good imaging? One speculative possibility that occurs to me is that if those factors in your particular setup are not conducive to sharp and well defined imaging, the reduction in dimensionality and image size that may occur with many solid state amps relative to many tube amps may be compensatory.

Regards,
-- Al