Here is the un-varnished truth: At the very high-end of audio, a vacuum tube, properly implemented, is an inherently superior and more natural sounding amplification device than a transistor (for many of the reasons already stated and more).
Unfortunately there are enough highly colored, high distortion, poor quality tube designs to make any blanket statements about "tube amplifier" superiority meaningful. It is the tube itself that can be described as having more potential than a semi-conductor.
Most of the people who fight the good fight for solid-state are correct in noticing how good the sound of some transistor circuits have gotten. They really are very good. But when cost, maintenance, heat, size, and anything other than sound quality are not factors, the best yet achieved has still been through a vacuum tube.
Some in the solid state camp have never experienced the sound of a state-of-the-art modern tube amplifier or system. Some just aren't as picky about sound or just don't hear subtlety very well. Others are swayed by things other than their ears (watts per channel ratings, THD ratings, etc...).
Very few if any in the vacuum tube camp are guilty of not having spent time with comparable transistor amplifiers or being swayed by anything other than what their ears tell them.
Unfortunately there are enough highly colored, high distortion, poor quality tube designs to make any blanket statements about "tube amplifier" superiority meaningful. It is the tube itself that can be described as having more potential than a semi-conductor.
Most of the people who fight the good fight for solid-state are correct in noticing how good the sound of some transistor circuits have gotten. They really are very good. But when cost, maintenance, heat, size, and anything other than sound quality are not factors, the best yet achieved has still been through a vacuum tube.
Some in the solid state camp have never experienced the sound of a state-of-the-art modern tube amplifier or system. Some just aren't as picky about sound or just don't hear subtlety very well. Others are swayed by things other than their ears (watts per channel ratings, THD ratings, etc...).
Very few if any in the vacuum tube camp are guilty of not having spent time with comparable transistor amplifiers or being swayed by anything other than what their ears tell them.