Just use burnt out tubes with LED lights on a mostly hollow chassis. It will lower your heating bill and give you that warm tube aesthetic while you enjoy your SS music bliss!!!
I've always said that tubes are simply more interesting in pretty much every way, although I did buy a Pass XA-25 this year. Likely the most boring looking amp there is (especially compared to other Pass Labs meter festooned monsters) but it's the only amp that's caused me to put my beloved Dennis Had Firebottle SEP on a shelf for a well earned rest. I do fire it up from time to time (and I still have my 4 Schiit Freya GEs burning away) but the XA-25 is a simply an astonishing sounding original design that just sits there...gets hot...even its light is among the dimmest of any amp I've owned...it just sits there...
@oddiofyl Thanks. There's been about 25 posts and not one has gone political or abusive. Is it possible tube equipment could bring about world peace? 🤣
I bought my first solid state device in years... an Aurender N200. It's sound is amazing but it is as cool as a cucumber. My only effort to go green this year
@oddiofyl In the spirt of full disclosure, I just bought a pair of Hegel H30 mono blocks. Helgel has been the favorite SS amps I have owned in the past. Got a deal on the last 2 H30s the Canadain supplier had in inventory. With the new H30A about to be released, he was modivated to sell these last two amps. With all these amps weighing 100+ pounds each, swapping them in and out will be my exercise for the day!
Many moons ago I had a CJ premier 11 amp. It had Svetlana 6550's. The violet color plasma within the tubes would swirl around. It was memorizing. Alas, no Svetlana tubes being built any more....
I live in the Caribbean so I don't need any extra heat, thank you. I use Class-D amps partially to avoid the waste head. Cooling is just as expensive as heating and local power generation costs are ridiculous.
I get my tube "fix" via pre-amps. The tubes get "uncomfortably warm" as opposed to hot. I also opted for a pre that allows me to bypass the tubes or even go completely passive, if I'm in the mood for "ultra accuracy".
Secret guy: You nailed it! So much for the “unless it glows out it goes” crowd. I’m wondering if any of the above posters are the same people that criticize Mac lovers for being infatuated with their “big blue meters”? I don’t see the difference.
My solo single malt evenings, the ss monos get pretty toasty after 20 min at a non conversation level.
I close blinds, my 3 foot lava lamp, few of the wife’s smelly candles, after thumbing through my records and cds, I end up with a good stack of each, and center my self on couch, pop in a cd, drop an LP on the TT, and hit play on my CD player, and after 1030 or so the quiet is nice, so the system really opens up, until the wife runs out with stink eye, or calls out 10 mf’ers and a jagoff, from a slightly opened door.
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No problem heating the house over here!
