Solid State to Tubes and Back Again

I can't help but think of a hybrid amp as I read this thread. You may have missed a fine opportunity with the recent sale of the Pathos Classic Mk III for $1250. The Peachtree Audio hybrid for about the same price includes the remarkable Sabre DAC. I've heard both and you can't go wrong with either one.

Louisgiants, all true observations. Im not looking to break the bank either. Quicksilver makes a nice pre, as do the other companies you listed.

Thanks for sharing, Ferrari. So you were doing this audio thing when tubes were all there was. I can see why you want nothing more to do with them.

I've read several positive reviews of the Pathos gear, but I have never heard a hybrid. are there advantages to having a hybrid over an all tube amp?

I go back and forth from SS to tubes and back again every time I move from my 2 channel system downstairs to my 5 channel system upstairs. No application of audiophile dogma here, one system uses 116 dB horns and one uses 84 dB box speakers.

Gee, if I can remember, I think I actually biased the tubes once in the last year. Yeah, that took all of 5 minutes. And then there was the time I had to send a SS amp back to the manufacturer for re-biasing. That took 2 weeks and several hundred dollars in shipping cost.

My point is that making generalized statements about one or the other is just a pissing contest. I would rather take each individual component on it's own merits as it interacts in my system. To each his own.