differences between tube and solid state designs

Side by side comparision here on Very large schweikert monitors. Rogue 120 monos Kicked the $%^& out of a plinius sa250IV. Whats the best Dielectric Silicon or Air?? You be the judge.

I agree - mostly I think it's that tubes have become more able to deal with low sensitivity speakers because many of the better tube designers are incorporating their own transformer designs/windings, and using certain materials which were not as readily available in the past. Global market place, blah blah. Also I think factory conversion in eastern Europe has produced some great new tubes like Mullard and Amperex repros, and especially the new JJ Teslas. Much better than any NOS's I have tried which all tend to be microphonic, tired, fiddly or just plain crappy sounding. I also think people have had more time to think about new designs - look at the Manley Stingray, which is probably my pick for most elegant tube design of all time. The complaints I would lodge against SS are at the lower end of the market. However, I do find that the lack of air and harmonic distortion is still sort of a problem, and inherent in the SS designs. The difference between using amps vs. voltage to power a speaker (solid state v. tube), are real, and basically insurmountable. The zen-ish designs like Pass really don't do it for me, and although I like the sound of Levinson or Orpheus, I can also tell that they aren't communicating quite the way I would want. It is nice to have that quiet dark sound and the enigmatic cool box though. Bass and treble can definitely be extended by using some solid state. But it can wear on your brain aka gives me a headache, without tubes. Still, for people afraid of changing lightbulbs, I guess it's a good option... No, seriously though, my favorite SS designs are the 1970's Japanese designs like Kenwood and Yamaha and the old Sony's, which I happily use in my system, they work great and tubes give them some life. Best of both worlds and cheaper than anything you see at a show. Plus, the problem with shows is the rooms suck, so it's hard to tell what things really sound like. The room *is* the thing - a little insulation will change your system more drastically than a new source or a $1000. pair of cables. I always laugh at the guys on here with $100,000. worth of equipment in a room that's got a wood roof sloping down on half the listening area and pillars inbetween the speakers and the couch and to top it off is backed with a brick fireplace. Like, seriously, what were they thinking? Is that really going to sound better than a pair of Paradigms and an integrated Arcam with a decent source in a well-deadened room? No...

If our amps are supposed to be "High Fidelity" they should all sound the same. The truth is that an audio system is, at least in part, a musical instrument, as well as a reproduction machine. All violins don't sound the alike. Same deal for amplifiers.

"slight differences"...not sure which amps you are listening to. Take any Cayin tube, put it in a room with any ss amp, even 3X's the Cayin price. Then come back and post a comment.