This entire thread is about perspective. Which throne do you sit upon? I am a former bicycle racer. Which bike is best or what is the bicycle of the future? It all depends upon your perspective. Michael Green would be all about e-bikes s'far as I can tell. Again, which throne are you sitting upon? At the end of the day, we have moved light years in medicine and IT and have moved millimeters in audio technology. I own Class D in my car. It sounds good. But in my home, in my dedicated listening room, I prefer tubes. Which throne do you sit upon and what is your perspective? I don't really care, mind you, I have found what works best for me by trial and error. This Board is the silliest extreme of democracy. I enjoy it but I will protest here and there that some posts are vague, non-determinative, and sometimes, downright silly. Unlike photography in which digital has taken over most die hard film based stalwarts, audio is not going to change anytime soon. There will be SE tubes, Class AB tubes, Class A solid state, A-B solid state, and Class D and maybe more. Unlike photography, there will be no paradigm shifts in the next ten or twenty years.
The Future of Audio Amplification
I have recently paired an Audio Research DS225 Class D amplifier with an Audio Research tube preamplifier (SP8 mkii). I cannot believe how wonderful and lifelike my music sounds. The DS225 replaced an Audio Research SD135 Class AB amplifier. Perhaps the SD135 is just not as good as some of the better quality amps that are out there, but it got me thinking that amazingly wonderful sonance can be achieved with a tubed pre and Class D amp. I have a hunch that as more people experience this combination, it will likely catch on and become the future path of many, if not most audiophile systems. It is interesting that Audio Research has been at the forefront of this development.