Hi Redkiwi; nicely stated post. Last fall I purchased a well known 110 wpc tube amp ($5K list) and listened with it in my system for nearly a month. This amp had very nice mid-range and treble, but no more than acceptable bass. The amp was the same brand as my tube pre-amp.
When I finally put my SS amp ($5K list) back in my system and played some rockin' music I got a big grin on my face, and next day listed the tube amp for sale. Why? More than anything else music had greatly superior pace, rhythm, and timing with the SS amp. And of course a significant part of PRT is good quality-- make that excellent quality bass, which the SS amp provided easily and the tube amp could not approach. Also, in the case of this particular tube amp, it had to be played at a louder level to sound good, but I suspect that is a brand/model specific thing.
My SS amp also has a great mid-range and more detail than the tube amp. And the SS amp could be played at lower volume and still sound great. Note: I don't think I'd be willing to give up my tube pre-amp. Cheers. Craig
When I finally put my SS amp ($5K list) back in my system and played some rockin' music I got a big grin on my face, and next day listed the tube amp for sale. Why? More than anything else music had greatly superior pace, rhythm, and timing with the SS amp. And of course a significant part of PRT is good quality-- make that excellent quality bass, which the SS amp provided easily and the tube amp could not approach. Also, in the case of this particular tube amp, it had to be played at a louder level to sound good, but I suspect that is a brand/model specific thing.
My SS amp also has a great mid-range and more detail than the tube amp. And the SS amp could be played at lower volume and still sound great. Note: I don't think I'd be willing to give up my tube pre-amp. Cheers. Craig