Looking to get into tubes?

What makes tubes sound good are not the tubes, but rather the circuit. How many times have you heard that tubes sound sweeter, mellow, less bright, blooming, natural sound decay, etc.? What does that is the pure class A circuit for which tubes are known. You don't have to have tubes for pure a class A circuit. There are solid state amps that have that same sound and you don't have to put up with the high maintainance problems with tubes. Check out Pass Labs, and Esoteric. There might be other solid state brands that have pure class A circuits as well. Perhaps others can contribute more solid state amps brands with this tube sounding circuitry.

This is food for thought. In this month's issue (192) of Absolute Sound magazine in the review of a Pass amp and preamp, Anthony Cordesman said "I have never been a believer in choosing one type of amplifier- tube or solid state, or Class A verus class AB. The best and most neutral amplifiers still don't sound the same, but the way in which an individual design is executed now tends to be as important as category. I could live very easily with the best examples in each category. I also find that the sonic differences between tube or solid state, and class A and class AB are becoming smaller over time."

It will be a sad day for Audiogon when all amplifiers of all types and categories sound the same. This section of the forum might as well be shut down. Wishful thinking.

The Prima Luna is the best choice for this reason: Where are you going to send the Cayin for repairs? China? I don't know of any repair centers in the US that take care of Cayin equipment. But I could be wrong.