obviously tubes in audio gear existed prior to solid state amplification being invented and commercialized
with the advent of solid state amplification as well as the advent of cd’s as a format, the sound produced by high end audio systems went from warm and rolled off using tube gear (and lp’s or fm as the source), to very extended top to bottom but often with an added harshness and a thinned out /flattened midrange and midbass in solid state/cd driven systems
these two sound profiles are fundamentally synergistic - as the one school compensates for the weaknesses of the other, and if gear from both schools are combined intelligently in a system chain then you can get the best of both worlds
the ’tubes in dacs’ discussion is a microcosm of the above historical mega-shift in high end hifi audio over the past several decades
it works, but as always, it depends on skill in implementation, knowledge of what works with what, and of course, the type/flavor of sound one is aiming for in their system
with the advent of solid state amplification as well as the advent of cd’s as a format, the sound produced by high end audio systems went from warm and rolled off using tube gear (and lp’s or fm as the source), to very extended top to bottom but often with an added harshness and a thinned out /flattened midrange and midbass in solid state/cd driven systems
these two sound profiles are fundamentally synergistic - as the one school compensates for the weaknesses of the other, and if gear from both schools are combined intelligently in a system chain then you can get the best of both worlds
the ’tubes in dacs’ discussion is a microcosm of the above historical mega-shift in high end hifi audio over the past several decades
it works, but as always, it depends on skill in implementation, knowledge of what works with what, and of course, the type/flavor of sound one is aiming for in their system