2. amps-preamps
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Does SS cost more than HS for superior sound?


I sure hope I’m saying this right… I may be off the mark a bit….. Money talks… money matters as well, perhaps now more so than ever before.

For a while now I’ve been hearing or keep hearing, and in part am finding out for myself by acquiring this amp and that here and there, in order to obtain an equivalancy in audio refinement a SS amp will cost far more than will a tube amp when seeking out a natural, organic, or more dense and lifelike sounding presentation.

To me it seems less expensive a task to acquire these elements with tube amps and preamps, than with the likewise solid state products.

EX could be one will find far more bright sounding SS amps than one will find bright sounding tube amps, indicating extension isn’t all it could be in the world of sand only products.

I have heard repeatedly solid state appliances that are cool, dry, and uninvolving yet quite expensive.

I’ve not heard all of those characteristics in tube powered devices, although I have heard not long ago very pricey tube amps I simply wouldn’t buy with someone else’ money…. Yet they weren’t dry or lifeless, but they didn’t captivate.

Also I’ve never heard a tube preamp or amp that was prone to listener fatigue.

OR… could this possibly be more a matter of preferential requirements, and merely the age old subject of taste?
blindjim
mmike84
309 posts
 
I think you're talking about two separate things.

One is taste. You clearly have a preference for tubes as opposed to SS so of course you would feel that way. That is what I prefer as well so perhaps I am no less biased, however I think I appreciate them both for what they do well.

The other is cost versus quality. I think lower cost tube products sound much better than the equivalent lower cost SS. To my ears great sounding SS tends to be quite expensive, although there are some lower cost manufacturers that are pushing those boundaries as we speak.

I'm not exactly sure why that is the case although I suspect it has to do with supply and demand, and build complexity and parts cost. SS is easier and less intimidating to use, and gets most of the mainstream press. Therefore they sell more product and are able to charge much higher prices as a result.
rrog
1,958 posts
 
Jim, I think state of the art sound is very expensive in either format.

An audiophile friend recently purchased a well known tube integrated amp made in China that sells for a very reasonable price. He thought he was getting pretty good sound until one day he decided to hookup his old 1977 Kenwood 40 watt integrated. With his efficient speakers the Kenwood blew away the tube amp.

Dynaco Stereo 70 amplifiers are popular yet they only sound slightly better than a Japanese receiver. So, maybe it is a matter of taste.

But if you are looking for the latest and greatest in solid state from Levinson or Pass or tubes from Audio Research, VTL, Atma-Sphere, Canary, etc. you can expect the price to be high on either.
rpfef
110 posts
 
Sorry. I can't figure it out: What does "HS" stand for?
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