Unfortunately this thread is becoming a tube vs. SS debate rather than posts by people who have heard and owned many of the great solid state and tube amps and know very well the strengths of each. I thought the point of this thread was to determine why us tube amp owners put up with the "hassles" and not just abandon ship to SS.
Pure and simple, I have yet to hear a SS amp that portrays the decay of notes in such a realistic fashion as do some tube amps. And even more so, this is true for a SS preamp. And no, please don't blame this decay characterization as "tube distortion".
Elizabeth: 100 million dollars before you're willing to try a tube amp? Geez, I'd be willing to try a SS amp if I won only $10. Ok ok, I own SS amps too. 8-) Trying a tube amp is not like getting the measles.
As for hassles with tube amps, I have had my share of problems with solid state amps as well....those darn caps shorting now and then! As for tube replacement hassles, well yes, it can be a few hundred $$ every 4-5 years, but all you do is take the "dirty" tube out of the socket and put in a "clean" one - it's sort of like doing your laundry.
Keeping an amp on for years and years says a lot about its reliability. But I suspect the Forte does not even come close to the performance of the great solid state amps of today. So how anyone can say they are not willing to try one of the great tube amps in their system when they do not have a SOTA SS in their system does not seem to be giving the tube world a fair shake. It's all about musical enjoyment. Why does this have to be such a polar issue?
Unless I was willing to pay at least $1k for an amp on the used market, I would stick with solid state myself. For music-only, I use an all-tubed system. For a HT based system in another room, it is all solid state. This allows me to experience what I feel are the best of both worlds for two different but equally enjoyable applications.
John
Pure and simple, I have yet to hear a SS amp that portrays the decay of notes in such a realistic fashion as do some tube amps. And even more so, this is true for a SS preamp. And no, please don't blame this decay characterization as "tube distortion".
Elizabeth: 100 million dollars before you're willing to try a tube amp? Geez, I'd be willing to try a SS amp if I won only $10. Ok ok, I own SS amps too. 8-) Trying a tube amp is not like getting the measles.
As for hassles with tube amps, I have had my share of problems with solid state amps as well....those darn caps shorting now and then! As for tube replacement hassles, well yes, it can be a few hundred $$ every 4-5 years, but all you do is take the "dirty" tube out of the socket and put in a "clean" one - it's sort of like doing your laundry.
Keeping an amp on for years and years says a lot about its reliability. But I suspect the Forte does not even come close to the performance of the great solid state amps of today. So how anyone can say they are not willing to try one of the great tube amps in their system when they do not have a SOTA SS in their system does not seem to be giving the tube world a fair shake. It's all about musical enjoyment. Why does this have to be such a polar issue?
Unless I was willing to pay at least $1k for an amp on the used market, I would stick with solid state myself. For music-only, I use an all-tubed system. For a HT based system in another room, it is all solid state. This allows me to experience what I feel are the best of both worlds for two different but equally enjoyable applications.
John