Tubes vs Solid State - Imaging, Soundstaging, 3D


I have limited experience with tubes having had a couple tube amps with Gold Lion KT88s and EL34s. The majority of amps I have owned have been solid state. In my experience, SS always seems to image more sharply and offer the deepest, clearest field.

Is this common?
128x128michaelkingdom
Ralph, Frogman and Pryso,
Goods points about differences in general with tubes and transistors. I
mentioned in an earlier post the relative artificial sound of some SS amps.
The over emphasized image outlined sharpness and precision along with
the ultra black/silent backgtound just doesn't sound natural to me. With live
music there is more blending and mixture of the different tones and
overtones which gives a more rounded sound that's very dimensional and
full rather than a razor sharp focus and 2 dimensional leaness(hifi). I
understand that some consider this a desirable audio attribute but it comes
off as a contrived, less realistic presentation It deviates from what you'd
actually hear with live musicians. Live acoustic instruments are so rich,
colorful and very vibrant, no way would I want to diminished this vital
musical information. To each their own as long as you're happy.
Look at this at another angle. If there were a solid state amp out there that gave me those sonic attributes that atmasphere or charles said I'm sure most tube users would go the ss route. I have not found it yet and I'm talking about at any cost.
Dynamic range compression devices like the old DBXs used to be popular to produce similar effects in particular at lower volumes with higher noise floor off of typical SS.

i would think a SS amp could go for a higher noise floor and similar dynamics if designed for that. It seems to be more inherent with tube amps though.
Thanks Atmasphere for the comments - definitely jives with what I hear, and I would also urge you to continue your explanation you spoke of!

I also agree 100% with Frogman's comments on the "black background" thing. You have put into words something I have never quite been able to explain so succinctly.
As a musician, I have played in a room with a "black background"...it was empty, and the manager sent us home early (true story...a club on a mysterious empty military base in hills above Honolulu). Does this information help anybody?