"Warm Sounding" Solid State Amplifiers

Stick with nad.

There is usually nothing particularly "warm" about live music.

Its more a technical artifact of hi fi reproduction when there is an emphasis in the 100-300 hz or so frequency range (upper bass).

I can find it inviting at first but eventually wears out its welcome in comparison to more balanced timbres.

Its all semantics but warm can only refer to an exaggeration at certain frequencies which by definition is not accurate.

If one uses the term warm to describe something that isn't, well, then all bets are off. Its just words.

"What I find is that warmth is more often the thing I hear rather than bright and harsh, the latter being a common hallmark of solid state, hence the existence of this thread :)"

The other possibility is neither warm nor bright and harsh. I'd call that more "neutral".

Some SS amps are more neutral or less bright than others. Same true with tube amps. I don't think either wins categorically anymore these days in general though perhaps that used to be true to a greater extent. The technology on the other side of the fence from tubes is anything but stagnant.

Also neutral may be considered better technically but not all like the same sound best, even neutral. Just like most people but not all like vanilla ice cream and some prefer others with more distinct flavor.

When it comes to sound, I am in the camp that thinks neutral is always better, however it is achieved.

Regarding SS amps, ones that use MOSFETs are often cited as having a warmer sound. My limited experience with these supports that I think. Tandberg gear was known for MOSFET use I believe and the Tandberg sound was always a tad towards being warm sounding. Tandberg tr2080 was the warmest sounding amp I have owned personally. It was very sweet sounding as older SS gear goes.

A lot of musical instruments produce music in the 100-300 hz range or so typically identified as the general range for "warmth" so it is not a surprise to hear that in live music or in a good hifi reproduction. The devil is all in the details. Some music may have little or no warmth at all and that is perfectly natural.

bad news: its all distorted.

Starts in the recording process and only gets worse from there.

Its a wonder any of us can enjoy any music at all. Go figure!