What do you see as the downside of tubes?

"Just listen to your tubes and get off already...."

Try these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dF2WcrdxdQ

Tube simply don't like some highly reactive loads. Some speakers, even some with benign impedance curves and medium and higher sensitivity won't mate well with tubes due to high phase angles.

Dave changes components more than he changes underwear.

Read his posting history, it's all there.

This clearly indicates his lack of understanding and inexperience regarding our audio hobby. He has no idea where he's going, only where he's been.

His advice and comments cannot be taken seriously as other posters have illustrated so succinctly using his words.

So experience and the means to experiment indicates less understanding? You should work for Obama you nutball. This is becoming ridiculous. Why do some people have to shore up their emotional inadequacies at the expense of others? Audiofeil is THEE person who uses other peoples responses (out of context of course)as an excuse for an answer. Check HIS postings for anything helpful, useful or even remotely original. I enjoyed all of my gear and was fortunate enough to be able to play around quite a bit. Now I have more responsibilities and less expendable cash. I was not picking on anyone or attacking anyone. Enjoy what you have while you can...life is so fleeting:O)

Heat is my only complaint.( My listening room is only 10x10)

I have a Will Vincent rebuilt dynaco st70 currently in my system. My system consists of quad 11L mini monitors, classe dr6 preamp, sansui tu516 tuner, and denon cd/sacd player.

After buying the st70,I was very surprised at how wide,deep, andwarm sounding my system became after switching from a solid state marantz 2265b reciever.

I decided to try some different tubes in the dynaco and switched out the el34's for a set of gold lion kt66 repops.
Unreal difference!! This dynaco is very detailed now with a fuller sound and is no longer rolled off on the upper end like it was with el 34's.

I wanted to try a "quality ss amp to see if I could get the same results as the kt66 tubed dynaco and dropped the money on a mint bryston 3b st....... while the bryston drives the mini monitors with tighter bass and more authority, it has a much thinner soundstage depth and does not sound nearly as good as the dynaco especially at lower volume levels.

Tubes sound better to me, and the only downside is heat, and ocassional tube replacement.

Now if I would just step up to the pump and buy a really nice tube amp like a cary........