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
Yes you can and I did.
I've had only tubes in my system up until about 4 years ago. The cost to retube an amp and the cost to purchase a new tube amp over 100 watts made me look at SS. There are a few amps out there like Moon and Pass that come close to tube sound, look around. I am staying with a tube Preamp though, I feel there is a large differance in the sound compared to SS and the cost to retube is minimal. So keep your tube preamp.
Sigh. One more time. A tube pre with a ss power amp is the combo that J. Gordon Holt recommemded years ago. Of course, each must be worth listening to. I've had a tube pre with ss power amp for over a decade and will not go either all tube or all ss. Right now a 12au7 based pre with a Hypex based "Class D" power amp. Sweet.
I have owned some very good sounding ss amps and sadly some others that seem to intially impress but wear you down in the long run. I think you can be satisfied with a good ss amp coupled to a well matched tube preamp, giving you the best of both worlds.
I think you can follow the advice of Phd and find happiness. Again, the tube pre-amp is the key. A SS pre hooked to a ss amp is a no go for me.
Lloydc, based upon your initial post, noting the long attachment to tubes and vinyl, the answer is no. You will not be happy with solid state at least without spending considerable time and expense to get it right. And as a tube-o-phile, it may still be all in vain.

That said, I agree that pairing a very high-quality SS amp with a tube preamp, gold cables, and gold fuses can be very good, and even ideal for many speakers. Plus, amplifiers have advantages for many aspects of music reproduction (ie. the bottom, the top, speed). But it isn't easy to get the midrange fullness and texture that sounds like real, natural music. I am now getting close to the sound I want, but it is taking many months. In the end, it will be worth it, but the trip has its ups and downs.