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

Here ya go!
https://medium.com/collectors-weekly/could-an-old-school-tube-amp-make-the-music-you-love-sound-bett...

Tubes, at their best, do sound better but the cost is not insignificant .
If you want REALLY good tubes the cost can easily be twice the original
cost of the amp over its lifetime .

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.  

Tubes are just like Ferrari, Porsche, Rolex -- toys designed to entertain
Solid states more like Toyota, Honda, Swiss Aarmy --  instruments designed to deliver.

If you want something simple and family friendly, I would suggest the Parasound HINT for the main system.  It's a Swiss army knife of an integrated, sounds great (especially with the R300s) and it doesn't cost so much that you won't freak out if the wife or kids get PB&J on it. 

I’ve put a deposit down on the new Belles Virtuoso. As I have small children, and also run 2 small companies, my time at home is very precious to me. Sometimes I am only home for 2-3 hrs, and want to make the most of it. My current gear is an Adcom pre/Pro, an Oppo 205, and a pair of Funk Audio 6.1P’s. I also have a pair of Kef R300’s, and a pair of old Mission 781’s. My wife and kids also like to listen to music. I want something that is family friendly. I’m seriously looking at putting a near field tube system in my office. I need the main rug to be simple enough for anyone to run. 
Thougts?
jtweed

Tubes glow and look way cool.   SS just sits there. 

The best tube and SS setups I've heard  tend to sound more similar than different.  

   

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.

Tubes sound better. They can be slightly more upkeep than SS but not by much at least not to me. My amp and preamp sound great and have been totally reliable for over 10 years with minimal hassle other than replacing tubes. I specifically chose an amp that uses EL34's as those are relatively cheap and thus my tube costs are not high either. That is my experience as with all things YMMV.