Is the Phile sound an Aquired taste.

Yes there is an audiophile sonic and yes most people do not posses it. It takes years of listening and much dissatisfaction with equipment to achieve what I like to call the highest level of listening pleasure. Not many of us out there who attain that level. I myself have spent many hours in therapy trying to go beyond just enjoying music and transcending all that encompasses in search of more detail not to mention more bass.

Be patient and if the audiophile gods are kind to you and when you have exhausted your loan on your second mortgage you to may achieve the great heights of "audiophiledom"

All the best

I think the taste is a natural occurance within us. For some it's cars, golf, etc., but for us music. The "phile" in us grows as we develop a deeper appreciation for the quality in which we pursue the passion.

It is all dependent on the interaction between your speakers and your amp. If your speaker is sensitive enough these amplifier trade offs are less important.

Each amplifier type has its own sound, but much of this is dictated by the speaker it is attached to.

So I would say the answer is no. You just need the right gear to make it work properly.

Mechans, I am in the same camp you are. Tried SET (but not any that cost as much as a car), loved the midrange, missed the highs and lows. But you know... I may try them again someday.

I kind of expected there would be strong polarity of opinion. I have listened to several DHT I came to like the 845 for it's inherently richer tone once again but liked 2 of them even more per channel in PP. A close second would be the 211 in single ended triode.
Thanks for your responses.
I know I am "supposed" to prefer the purity of a SET. In my case it it is not money is not the issue, because the SETs I speak of are in my friends systems that I have spent time with. I do want to counter one common response that Philes are more into the equipment than the music.
Yes that may well be true. If you really just like music spend your time on a music appreciation site that does not concern itself with playback and use the most affordable equipment you can. I really think liking equipment is not a sin. No more than liking cars instead of traveling etc.