The ups and downs of tube vs. SS...

Agree strongly that tubes sound better.  I've been in this hobby 30+ years and have had many different set ups but when I have tube gear, I tend to keep it much longer than when I have SS.  When I have SS, I'm never really satisifed as I am when I have tubes.

There are lots of different ways to go with tube gear, each tube type has it's own signature and each brand of tube differs as well, so there are lots of nuances.  Also whether it's push pull, single ended triode, single ended pentode, push pull triode, or OTL, you will find differences sonically between all of those as well.  Solid state amps with tube preamps are also another great way to go too......

Single ended is like having a really great tasting grapefruit, no need to put added sugar on top of it.  Push pull is like adding the extra sugar or stated differently SE is like a beautiful nude woman, nothing better, PP is like the same beautiful woman in a bikini.  I've never heard OTL amps before, so I can't comment on it.  The late Harvey Rosenberg of Moscode fame once wrote in Listener magazine that true 4 pin triode tubes run in PP was better sounding than in single ended triode.  

I've also heard lots of different tube types and to me the low powered triode amps in SET sound best.  It's all dependent on your associated gear and what tube will best match your speakers, room, and listening habits. 

So, Jtweed, what gear do you have now and what are your thoughts regarding trying tubes, how big is your room, what do you listen to and how loud, and what is your budget???  With that information, we can head you in the right direction.

For a near field desktop system and to get into tubes, check out the miniwatt 6AD10 single ended amp.  It's 3.5 wpc, single ended, and won't set you back much.  You'd be surprised just how loud 1 watt can get with the right speakers and they are saying the 6AD10 is superior to a 6BQ5.

The Sophia Baby is also a nice sounding 6BQ5/EL84 amp.  I believe it's about 10 wpc push pull.  The EL84 is one of my favorite tubes, it's very neutral and sweet sounding and has excellent bass.

It all depends on your budget and speakers too.  

Two audio shows really shaped my opinions on tube gear.  One was a single ended symposium put on by Stereophile mag in the early-mid 90's in Philadelphia and it was the first time I heard SET gear.  That day I heard 845 amps, 300b, 211, and 2A3 amps from very well known designers.  They were all incredible sounding but the one that caught my ear the most was the least expensive and lowest powered amps the FI 2A3 monoblocks.  At 3 wpc, they were able to fill a 40 x 40 room with 104 db horn speakers.

Several years later, I went to another show in Central NJ sponsored by Vacuum Tube Valley magazine.  That day I heard great solid state systems, several digital class D amps w/tube preamps and many different tube amps both push pull and single ended.  I heard KT88, 6550, EL34, 6L6, 6BQ5, 6BG4 tubes in push pull and 300B, 2A3, 45, 50, 10 SET amps and again, to my ear, the best sounding was the lowest powered amps.

In PP, I thought the best was a moded Dynaco ST70 using 6BG4 in PP triode for 12 wpc along with an 18 wpc Dyna mk II which used 6BQ5 tubes; however, my overall favorite was the very low powered SET amps that were 2-3 wpc.  

Of course it's all about system synergy in every system you put together.  In the 5-7K range, I would tell you to spend about 2-2500 on a 45 or 2A3 amp and a nice pair of single driver Omegas and just save the rest of the money as I don't believe spending double will get that much better.  The 300B amps will get you double the power but replacing 300Bs can get very expensive.  

Keep us posted on what you end up with

atmasphere - yes!  That was the show & yes, I felt that the fi 2a3 monos did sound best; however, every amp sounded pretty amazing to me. 

Quite a bit of stereo celebrities in that room that day.  Actually, at the time, I was just getting back into audio as I took a couple years off when I became a father 4 years earlier.  On that day, I purchased a Creek 5050 int amp from Listener magazine's Rob Doorack that he brought with him that day. 

I was so amazed and impressed with what I was hearing that day, hence my name a'gon name Lou_setriodes!