can a tube-o-phile be happy with ss?


I switched to tubes over a decade ago, after realizing that I no longer listened to the stereo because it did not sound like real music and ss and digital were irritating, on a subconscious level. Went to all tubes and mostly LP's. It worked. I even prefer triode with no negative feedback settings, usually. Now ss has supposedly improved, and its advantages beckon, e.g., less heat, electricity and trouble, better bass and perhaps more detail and clarity. Have any of you voluntarily gone back to the dark side and been content? (with the understanding that it never really ends, for an audiophile). On an unlimited budget one might have few complaints, but this question is necessarily in the context of a semblance of fiscal sanity, not top of the line Boulder, Ayre or Zanden.
128x128lloydc
I don't get it.Tube and solid state amps are different animals,you can't make a solid state amp sound like a tube amp and why would you try.I enjoy red wine,you claim white is better so am I going to make a red wine that tastes like a white wine.How dumb is that.Music is a medium and what audio gear we choose to enjoy that medium is a personal decision,yes.
For me, every time I have SS gear, I either find myself either changing gear a lot or not even listening to it at all. But whenever I've had tube gear, I go many years without a single change in gear - which says one thing to me - I can't be happy with SS...Tubes rule.
Here is my experience.....Bought a SS amp - didn't like the way it sounded, so I bought another, didn't like it so much either, so I bought another, ditto, ditto, etc.

Then I bought a tube amp! Almost wonderful - bought some different tubes. Different sound but not much if any better. Bought some more tubes, it sounded worse. Bought some more tubes, ditto. Couldn't get the perfect sound. So I bought a new tubed amp - very similar result, only the details change. Never could find the perfect tube amp either.

Now I've given up on finding the ideal power amp, but I have taken to listening to tubes as my new hobby. To hell with the music.

Or so it seems some times......:-)
Newbie
...now that's funny. Thanks. For a good long while mine was listening to wires.
Markwatkiss, the wine analogy is very apt. . . I would even push it so far as saying that most wines are sadly poor, with reds and whites tending to the 'terrible' each in their own idiosyncratic ways. . . then there are a few marvellous ones. . . red, white, and some. . . rose. . . . and so are stereo components. I do confess of having a preference for certain full bodied reds, yet I do recognize cheerily that SS is not necessarily for everyone.