Solid state; when would you use tubes?

FWIW, My first tube purchase was a tubed CDP (Cal Aria) in the mid 80's. BIG tonal improvement! My next tubes purchase was in a Pre-amp. Even bigger improvement. I upgraded to a Trans - DAC (Tubed combo). Similar tonal balance but with greater resolution. Several years later I purchased my first tube amp. Last year I purchased my first SS CDP since my original SONY 101 just to see what high quality CDP's can sound like w/tubes in the Pre & amp. Pretty good I'd say. Lacking a tad bit of air in the highs, but a very solid and musical sound (Wadia vs BAT).

In retrospect I think, at least for me, the pre-amp was the greatest single improvement and the amp was the second biggest improvement. I don't think one necessarily needs a tubed CDP or DAC any longer for high quality sound.

FWIW - YMMV.

As an A-Gon member, I appreciate the time put into the above posts, but good grief, please spell check, proof-read and organize what you write. Stream-of-consciousness blather is really obnoxious and no one has the patience to read it.

My experience after years in this game is that, if mixing and matching tube and SS gear is what you are in to, a top solid-state preamp paired with an equally good tube amp is generally the best approach (because of the quiet of great SS preamps, and the layering of space and timbre provided by great tube amps), but they are also cost-prohibitive. Less-than-great SS preamps sound, well, solid-state, and only $$$$ tube amps have the high-quality output transformers and power supplies required to control low-impedence speakers. If you are on a budget, a good tube preamp with a decent SS amp like a Bryston 4B-ST and careful choice of cabling, in my opinion, will get you surprisingly close.

As the studies done in the 50's proved, the small-signal tubes in preamps and DAC's are good for a hell of a lot more than 10,000 hours if left on 24/7, as they pass virtually no current -- the only thing that will kill them is infant mortality (duds will croak in the first 250 hours or so) and on/off cycles. While there are a few hot-rod preamp circuits out there that stress the tubes, you are generally best off leaving a tube preamp on 24/7 with the volume turned down and mute switch engaged when not in use, replacing the tubes every three years or so.

Holy cow. You guys can write faster than I can read :)

IMHO, if you have the right speakers with relatively high and flat impedance curve, I would go all tube. Otherewise, tube pre and ss amp are better match.

If you can, go out and visit some local audio junkies who have various types
of systems, or nearby dealers where you can listen, and see if you can get a
sense of what YOU might like. Bring your own music to listen to. As you may
already have gleaned from similar threads, the two camps can be myopic as
any radical fundamentalist sect. You can find plenty of folks who'll steer you
in either direction, and the question as to which is "best" is as
pointless as asking whether vanilla or chocolate is the best flavor. I know,
that's not the question you've asked, but since the initial late-night tome
seems to be addressing that issue in some ways I thought I'd publish a
counterpoint, though I'll keep mine brief. As far as where to start, I'd try
listening to other systems first and see if you like the differences you hear. If
you do want to jump headfirst into the fray, my experience has been similar
to Newbee with tubes, which is to say the preamp seemed to make most
difference, in general, though if you move into the realms of SET or OTL I'd
say that the amp then plays a stronger roll in changing the sound (not to
diminish the importance of a good pre), and...per your Tubes 101 textbook
above, going that direction is more limiting in your choices of speakers and
more sensitive to system matching at the back end. I've also found, as many
have, that the different types of music are best served by different types of
systems. You may be swayed one way or the other by how the music you
prefer to listen to most of the time sounds on each type of system. There's
heaps of input on these subjects in the archives too.

There'll be a pop quiz on all of this material on Tuesday afternoon so you'd
better start cramming! Good luck.

Marco

For what its worth, I personally don't like care for tube gear. I've heard some pretty decent setups, but I don't have a preference for it. IMO, I wouldn't mix tubes with solid state at all, especially when you start climbing the higher end ladder for components. However, I have heard of audiophiles using tubes all throughout the system. T CD Player to SS Preamp and Amp and all combinations in between. I would say its a matter of preference. Try a setup and if you don't like it, sell it used and buy something else. Its the audiophile way. ;)

Keep your checkbook handy. Enjoy!!