Is solid state on the brink of extinction?


I am curious how many out there, like me, that have come to the conclusion the age of solid state, and perhaps tube gear, is closing.

In freeing needed cash from my high end audio recently, I was forced to look for a less expensive alternative. To my surprise, the alternative turned out to be an unexpected bonus.

I have notoriously inefficient speakers. I was sure I would have to sell them once I sold off my large solid state blocks.

Going on a tip from another amp killer speaker owner, I bought an Acoustic Reality eAR 2 MKII Class D amp. This tiny amp caused a revolution in sound benefits over my ss mono blocks.

My speakers gained in speed, depth, control, detail, range, clarity, and dynamics.

It didn't stop there. I also sold my front end, and bought a very cheap programmable digital DVD. It also proved to be better that my old disc player. My playback gained in detail, separation, depth, bass control, bass extension, and treble extension. The mids are just plain natural. Reverberation decay occurs evenly and naturally.

Has anyone else had a similar experience of moving from solid state or tubes to digital? What do you see as the future for solid state component producers? What of tube amps?
muralman1

Showing 4 responses by rgcards

Khrys,
Muralman has been posting on these boards for quite a long time, and his posts usually revolve around the Apogee speakers. There is really nothing to suggest that Muralman is as shill; if he were one it would be for the defunct Apogee corporation. He has also praised Pass labs many times. The tone of his posts are also inconsistent with having been suborned.
I personally appreciate when a audiogon member chooses to share his experience with a "new" technology, (although this technology is not new). As in many other circumstances, the reader needs to temper his acceptance of proferred opinions with the knowledge that enthusiasm might be tainting the objectivity of the observations. Nevertheless, in regard to the subject at hand ,there is considerable interest in these digital amps, and some people have reacted very passionately to them, suggesting much more vehemently than muralman, that ,for example, the ps audio is better than almost any amp available. In the last several weeks there have been treads about the carver pro 1600 and some sort of giant killing panasonic receiver. My undestanding is that Rowland is also thinking of marketing an amp based on this technology. Thus, I think it is great that muralman has shared his experience. Of course there are shills on this board but they are usually easy to spot, (first time posters, those recommending expensive mods performed only by one company etc). I ,for one, would hope that everyone would be feel free to share there experiences without apprehension of being unfairly maligned
This post is somewhat off the topic so I apologize in advance. I also apologize for my general state of ignorance on this subject but nevertheless...Astonoshingly I recently heard one of the best musical reproductions I have ever experienced at the Bang and Olefsun store in the form of the Beocord 5. This a powered speaker system, but my understanding is that the amps are digital, and that the module that controls the amps is the ICE, which is in fact desogned and manufactured by Band O. Now I have never enjoyed B and O products , and the source used for this system seemed to be designed solely for visual impact, but this was really an amazing sound. The system is 15k but it sounds as if Khrys might be able to afford that kind of price tag. I would listen to them, I would certainly be interested in the reactions of people with "high end"systems to these products. Unfortunately B and O seem to have eschewed the "high value" market for their own application of their technology, but than again I believe there is other proprietary tachnology in these things. I Really was surprised. This could be an excellent showcase of this technology
Muralman,
Unless I am mistaken, I believe B&O is actually the manufacturer and designer of these modules. I think the Danish government actually helped finance the research
Khrys,
Thanks for the info. I had seen something of this natuer before, and I think the info you provided may explain why the EU actually provided some support to this project. Also the electricty usage of big solid state amps is not trivial from a european point of view. I think it is kind of ironic that B& O, a company I do not associate with a timorous image, is actually being kind of circumspect in their promotion of their technology, while eAR has been been hyping it with the most fulsome, and grandiloquent language. One thing is true though, more amps will be using this technology