differences between tube and solid state designs


this topic may have been beaten to death.

however, my experience attending ces shows has demonstrated to my eras that the differences between push pull tube and solid state amplifiers sound very similar.

i notice today's tube amps, e.g., contad johnson, audio research, wolcott audio, etc., do not exhibit many of the classic colorations associated with tube designs and sound a lot like solid state, especially with respect to frequency response, i.e., spectral balance.

there may be still be slight audible differences between the 2 formats.

has anyone perceived a narrowing of sonic differences between the two designs and if so if differences are slight, why buy a tube amp.

note, i have deliberately excluded class a and single ended amps, at low wattage, from this discussion. some of them have more of a vintage or classic tube sound, especially relative to bass and treble response.
mrtennis
Part of My System....Plinius SA102s in xlr mono with Mirage OM6s,Plinius M-8 preamplifier w/ ht bypass, a P8 driving an MC2 full range center channel, Plinius SA100mk3 on Mirage OM10 surrounds, 2- [ stereo ]- 18 inch Bag End Infrasubs for added depth, Mullard NOS Tubes in my Kora Hermes DAC and Magnum Dynalab 102 triode tuner.

And Yes, I agree tubes need be somewhere in the chain so for me I prefer them at the beginning of the signal, in my source to be exact.

A see through quality or ability to peer into the performance?

I dont want to sound like a writer, but my impressions are as follows:

Yeah , Big time guys, with 2 15 amp 220 volt dedicated outlets for deeper saturation of my Plinius SA102s primary transformers, a line conditioner for front end components along with high quality cabling from transparent, your pretty much they're! This topic is open to subjective biased opinions based on every ones own experiences but for me there's really no need to explore any further as the dimensional sound stage with performers and instruments in they're own space giving me a very realistic recreation of the recorded event. Image blooming to scale with excellent instrumental harmonic tones and dynamic shading with my speakers, both small [micro] and large [macro] dependent on the recording and associated quality of mastering in the studio and a direct relation to the volume at playback. Different recordings revealing unique spatial qualities individual to they're own optimised playback level.

Tubes have excellent musical qualities to be sure, but lets not forget that there are exceptional lines of solid state equipment that, when matched well in ones system, offer up they're own magical recipe for sonic delight.

ENJOY... REGARDS /// TIM W...