Switched From Tubes To SS???Glad You Did???

I started using tube equipment in the late 60's and with a brief foray into
solid state in the early 70's, have stuck with tubes since around 1973.
And.....drum roll...
I think it really depends on the application.
Right now, I am using pretty high-end tube equipment for phono stage, a
hybrid line stage (solid state audio path/tube power supply) and SET amps-
but these are for horns.
I posted a 'downscaling' without 'downscaling' thread recently with similar
questions in mind, particularly over space, since I'm not sure, even if I keep
a largish system, that I will be able to set it up for a year or so after I move
(heading to Austin from NYC area).
Having said all of that, and having no axe to grind, I know some of the
newer McIntosh stuff(both tube and solid state) is highly regarded, is very
reliable, I don't think it requires the degree of craziness that some tube
equipment demands and you can get it on the used market, knowing you
could resell it easily. There are alot of pricey solid state pieces on the
market too, Darzeel, the ASR Emitter stuff, etc. which are considered top
drawer by people with good ears and deep pockets. (Used the ASR stuff is
not too crazy expensive, not cheap, but you can eliminate the line stage
since in a sense it is like a huge integrated amp and has a battery option
which is way cool)
I bought as a gift for a good friend, a very good solid state basic amp, used
(I think it came from Audio Classics? the McIntosh reseller- and it sounded
very good on his Martin Logans. I can check the model, it cost around 2
grand used. And I know this guy is not somebody who is going to tweak or
fidget, he just wants to turn it on and hear music).
Not shilling for McIntosh by any means (although I did wind up replacing
alot of my home theatre equipment with their stuff (solid state) and it has
worked flawlessly).
Other than that, I am totally into the most whacked out tube stuff you can
find.
:)
And, I think you want to pay attention to what will work well in the entire
chain, both on the speaker end and on your source(s).

Regismc- not to get into a war, but i think that your comment is unfair. I'll
grant you tubes are a pain, but there is a real sense of music in the right
tube set up, and not all tube equipment is euphonic. As I mentioned earlier
in this thread, although I have been using tube equipment since the early
70's I also have solid state stuff - my main system line stage is actually a ss
audio path with tube power supply- and there is joy to be had in both. So
much is system dependent, and the overall musical result hinges so much
on the careful selection of the components to work as a system, gross
generalizations (all tubes are overly romantic) is not a realistic assessment,
let alone that all users of tubes are into futzing, not music. And, while I am
the first to admit that I am a gearhead, what goes into my main system is in
the service of music- to create an illusion that touches you on a visceral
level. You are more than welcome to visit me in the New York area if you
would like to hear what I'm talking about. And to the extent you were simply
trying to balance out Wolf Garcia's comment to the opposite extreme, he is
in the same 'boat.' :)
Best,
bill hart

Doggie- so much current pop is recorded or mastered so badly- I
hate the autotune on the vocals and the compression to get that pumped
up sound just robs the music of any real dynamics. Somebody here turned
me onto Black Dub. On vinyl it's pretty good, like Black Keys, but not as
monotonous and definitely better sounding than their latest- El Camino.
Unfortunately, both copies were warped! (I'm a vinyl only guy, so if you
want to talk about masochism, ...).
:)

Wolf, no malice intended, it is hard to tell from the Internet, because you can't see the smile, the arch of the eyebrow or the wink.

Doggie, despite what i had heard and read about how bad the lost highway
pressing of shelby lynne was, i bought one standard pressing and one
audiophile pressing (I sorta hate to encourage audiophile pressings, if i can
avoid them, and have been digging through original issues of lot's of stuff,
finding it sounds better sometimes). Anyway, the lost highway 'standard'
pressing is, as many people have said, virtually unlistenable, it is noisy, it
sounds like misstracking, and although I thought this had been brought to
the attention of the label quite a while ago , and thought they 'fixed' it in
later pressings, the standard one i bought through Amazon a week ago - it
was on clear vinyl- was awful. The audiophile pressing is totally fine. So, it
seems like in some cases, you have to pay the premium for new vinyl to
get something that is useable. And despite what people say about lousy
original pressings and better mastering on the new issues, many of the
older original pressings sound great, even if they are 'thin' vinyl and were
pressed off by the tens of thousands when the medium was still a
mainstream commodity.
I also get a kick out of how many times some of these audiophile
warhorses get reissued. Tea for the Tillerman 19? (Like a bad horror
movie). My island pink label which i bought from a homeless guy on the
street for a dollar or two, sounds better than the UHQR (which I bought
new) and every other reissue of that record i have heard.
best,

It's true, to a degree. There is something so old school laboratory 50's sci-fi
atomic age (and earlier) electronic about tubes. Ever look at the stuff
Jeffrey Jackson
does or those things using ancient radio tubes, or even 211's or..... They all
have a quality that brings back the ghost of radio stations, transmitting
facilities, guys in white lab coats with clip boards (no, not the asylum
attendants).
And, you can change the sound by swapping out tubes, sometimes to a
remarkable degree. I was comparing the sound of different rectifier tubes in
the last week.
And, they glow. And throw off heat.
Maybe Regismc was right after all. We are only in it for
.....
the gear. :)
But, there are a few drawbacks. Big, heavy, throws off heat, not the easiest
thing to work with on a number of speakers. Cost of tubes. Quality of tubes
(or lack thereof). Sources of tubes. Tube oscillation. Tube microphonics.
Tube life. And Tube death. Still love 'em.
Can't live without 'em. Maybe.
I go through the same issues with vinyl. Is this a good pressing?
Is it clean? Is it scratched, is it warped, is my cartridge properly aligned,
what about the VTA, should the cartridge be replaced, oh, the goddamn
airpump for the tone arm, is that mistracking I hear or just another noisy
new pressing?
But I haven't been able to give it up. Yet.

I haven't experimented with new small tubes, maybe they have improved, I've only had luck soncially with older tubes, and even among those, pretty selective (the telefunkens seem to be more my cup of tea). I haven't tried any different power tubes in the Lamm ML2 for good reason- it's not really an option. But, interestingly, I've been experimenting with vintage rectifier tubes in my new phono stage, and there are sonic differences among them.
FWIW, I think everything makes a difference in a system, which by definition, is interdependent on each element.