Teajay, I admire your magnanimous post, but it's almost unavoidable that this issue will keep from becoming the Israeli/Palestinian debate of audio.
That said, I would tend to agree with you, these days it seems that solid state and tube designs are beginning to sound more alike than ever. And I think that's great because it creates greater options for audiophiles when choosing an amp.
Just a month ago, I decided to finally take the SET plunge. I opted for a high powered Bel Canto SET40 because I thought it mandatory for my current speakers in hopes of not losing all the bass my solid state BAT VK200 was capable of. I'd also read great things about the SET40's ability to display a musical soundfield. I was shocked to find that SET40 had the ability to reproduce really good bass, but also that the VK200 didn't surrender much in the midrange or soundstaging to the Bel Canto. They were definitely more alike than I had expected.
That said, I would tend to agree with you, these days it seems that solid state and tube designs are beginning to sound more alike than ever. And I think that's great because it creates greater options for audiophiles when choosing an amp.
Just a month ago, I decided to finally take the SET plunge. I opted for a high powered Bel Canto SET40 because I thought it mandatory for my current speakers in hopes of not losing all the bass my solid state BAT VK200 was capable of. I'd also read great things about the SET40's ability to display a musical soundfield. I was shocked to find that SET40 had the ability to reproduce really good bass, but also that the VK200 didn't surrender much in the midrange or soundstaging to the Bel Canto. They were definitely more alike than I had expected.