Hello ctsooner,
Believe me I understand your argument for SS rather than tubes particularly in regard to power amplifiers. It has been made multiple times. You have found obvious satisfaction with your SS Ayre and that's good for you. Hasn't worked out that way for me, no SS amp thus far sounds like my SET amp. Horses for courses as is often said.
In the case of the OP he's interested in the Aesthetix Atlas which has a bipolar driver and output stage (tube input stage ) so essentially this is a SS output stage amplifier. He found it equal to the Ayre (both amazing he said). So he may as well get the lesser cost option in this case. Granted his preamp would be tubed but those small signal tubes are pretty much low maintenance . It seems by his initial post that he'd be thrilled will either brand of amplifier.
Charles,
Believe me I understand your argument for SS rather than tubes particularly in regard to power amplifiers. It has been made multiple times. You have found obvious satisfaction with your SS Ayre and that's good for you. Hasn't worked out that way for me, no SS amp thus far sounds like my SET amp. Horses for courses as is often said.
In the case of the OP he's interested in the Aesthetix Atlas which has a bipolar driver and output stage (tube input stage ) so essentially this is a SS output stage amplifier. He found it equal to the Ayre (both amazing he said). So he may as well get the lesser cost option in this case. Granted his preamp would be tubed but those small signal tubes are pretty much low maintenance . It seems by his initial post that he'd be thrilled will either brand of amplifier.
Charles,