Tubes vs. solid state.

I want to suggest that solid state has become so good that it really makes little sense to use tubes. There are solid state products out there right now that rival tubes but improve on areas that tube gear can seldom handle. On the other side of the coin the only thing modern tube gear is now doing is sounding like really good solid state, definately not your warm and fuzzy sound of a day gone by. I still like both but it is important to mention that your choice may be based on what type of music you normally listen to. I like tube preamps but I have had solid state preamps that make you question things.

Phd,
Would you care to list those solid state amps which have a reputation that rival tubes in terms of harmonics, mid range excellence, and 3D sound? The common understanding is that you need to look at amps which cost over $10k on a SS amp to even approach a tube amp.

Second, good tube amps can drive all but the most difficult speakers. Some of us use crossovers, and allow subs to handle the really low freq's which allows us to use low powered tube amps (mine is only 25 watts).

The challenges of having a speaker driven by voltage (tubes) instead of by current (SS) can easily be remedied. On the other side of the coin, good luck trying to find a SS amp which handles the mids and highs the way tubes do. It is near impossible!!

Notice the near unanimous concensus here that tubes are superior for most musical genres (non death metal or dance music - who listens to that crap any way).

I presume that you don;t have much experience with listening to actual tube AMPS - tube preamps + SS amp does not equal a proper tube setup.

I'll never forget when I heard my first tube amp. It was a lowly jolida 302b integrated. I wept as I went through my CD collection and rediscovered music in the mid-range which I never thought was there, nor did I ever imagine that that much detail and information can be stored on a CD. Every "high end" SS amp that I've tested failed to retrieve those details off of my CD's.

Once you turn into a tubehead, you never go back.

The ASR Emitter is one such SS amp that gives up nothing to tubes, and does certain other things no tube amp can do. Used prices are not so bad, especially since it's an integrated. (Yes I have one listed but actually I'm keeping it.)

The Red Wine products give up a little dimensionality but tonality is spot-on, and again offer certain advantages.

Same with Pass, other traditional class A SS.

Some people just like the tonality differences that arise from the respective frequency response deviations. Since most tube amps will put out less power into lower impedances and most solid-state amps the opposite, you end up with quite different bass & other characteristics (ie the impedance rise at the tweeter xover point makes the tube amp sound brighter - more 'detailed' - more 'alive'). Depending on the speaker these differences are either a pro or con for one topology or the other.

And for sure some people do like the soft, rolled-off sound many tube amps, especially SE, give. You don't realize anything is rolled-off except in comparison. (Is this why SETs 'pull vocals out from the mix'? Because both ends are downplayed?)

I'm a long-time SE tube guy but the fact is that while tubes can sound great and it is generally easier/cheaper to build a very good tube amp, the output devices are but one part of the equation, and 'tube sound' is just as unnatural as 'solid-state' sound. Natural sound should probably be the goal.

Interesting thread. I have been back and forth so many times, but for the last 2-3 years I have been very happy with an SS system - perhaps it is finding the right mix of components? I would have stuck with tubes were it not for the maintenance and small children in my house. It took a little playing around, but you can certainly build an SS system, today, that provides a lot of the musical flow of a tube system.

I'TS FUN TO LISTEN WITH ALL TUBE GEARS.

BUT I DO MISS ALL S/S GEARS TOO.

SO I DECIDED TO HAVE BOTH.

MOSTLY VINTAGE EXCEPT MY SPEAKER.