Tell me if i got it wrong..

Mara,

Lets see in your first post you say that SS has less Harmonic distortion than a tube amp. Now all of a sudden that has no value. Please make up your mind. Tube amps offer many advantages. Tubes are more linear devices than SS components. Tube equiment uses less complex circuitry (this comes from the school that simplier is better). Tubes "break up" more gracefully. Tubes need less negative feedback. Tubes also operate in a much higher voltage potential enabling them to swing more voltage, thus sound more powerful. SS amps on the other hand are "current amplifiers that swing current but need more negative feedback which takes away the musicality of the gear. SS amps are quieter due to no output transformer, but the more complex circuitry required for SS equipment can rob the amp of signal purity. One also must consider the Power supply of a tube amp. The higher working voltages present in tube amplifiers generally allows better voltage swing capability and better headroom. This higher working voltage yields higher audible energy storage with a lower value capacitor (audible energy storage is voltage squared divided by 2 multiplied by capacitance) Compare 600 working volts of tube amplifiers vs. 80 working volts of transistor amplifiers. This is most likely why many listeners feel that tubes sound more powerful.

...yes, I've ment ansamble(lake a band),Subaruguru. Class A is a picky issue in designing amplifiers. In the SS case it's very inefficient, although it is the way to get tube-like output. If you get Pass Aleph 6, you will be OK in the winter time without heater but what about summer? Besides for 60 output watts it consumes ~500watts from your power socket! To acheive a clear performance in the class A the active elements has to operate in small signal regime. Theoretically only small signal output characteristics of a transistor are linear. It means that Class A is good for a small input signal... That limits these amps in terms of dynamic performance.

If I would go for Pass I would take Pass X350 or higher power models. (in fact I wouldn't go for lower than 225W/ch SS amp)
There are Plinius models that can be a good match and more valuable financially.
Pass discondinued to produce class A amps and Pass X... line is already class A/B. (not "Stereophile class A")
Class A/B in my opinion is better since it's more music-independed.

Did I controverse myself previously? NO! The harmonic distortions of tube amps are solely from output transformers since the're not as lenear as tubes The higher output power tube amps used the higher amplitude of unwanted distortions will be produced. Also as I've mentioned before, these distortions are neglectable if placed next to number of advantages we gain from tubes.

Hmmm...I thought most folks preferred the tubelike naturalness of the fully Class A Alephs over the more-efficient A-B X Series... well, at least I do.
What's an Aleph 6?...and 11% efficiency? Hardly. My Aleph 2 idle at 300watts, yet pump 100/8 and a very meaty 200 into 4 ohms. (Parsifal Encore woofers are 4s, so this is a great match!) Non-linear? Are you kidding? And really--tube amp distortion is "solely contributed by output transformers"? Hmm....

I was thinking about this post again...tube equipment is just so damn visually pleasing! An electrical device used to build the amp actually becomes part of the design esthetics! And the warm glow of tubes in a darkened room reminds me of a soothing fire in the hearth. I also appreciate the fine craftsmanship required to make a tube! Does a transistor marked "Motorola" inspire awe the way a tube marked "Mullard" does? I think not! For that matter module (quartz) watches are usually MUCH more accurate than movement (mechanical) watches. How many truly fine watches (audiophile quality!!!) use quartz modules? NONE! Why? Because modules don't have a "soul"! Finely crafted products all have "souls"! A Stradivarius violin has a "Soul". A Moog synthesizer does not. Music has a soul. Sounds do not. Something with a soul combines both science and art...and I think that art can de defined as inspiration and passion. Therefore, I submit that tubes have a "soul" and transistors DO NOT!

C'mon, Fatparrot! I grew up playing a Hammond B (a pre-synth?) for 10 years.
My mostly baroque experience may not have met your "soulful" requirements, but I hope Jimmy Smith, et al, don't read your post!