Where do tubes matter most???

So far dealers have only played me all-tube amp/preamps or all solid state amp/preamps. I like the liquid effect of tubes, the etched sound of solid state amps I've heard hasn't really done it for me.

Is that because I'm hearing solid state amps that are not "really good"? What would you consider a "really good" solid state amp? And is the cheapest way to not get that "etching" effect to use mosfet rather than bi-polar transistors? I'm still in college so I have to be creative and work within a budget.

lastwaltz, my guess is that you haven't heard a "really good" ss amp, as (1) there aren't very many, and (2) they are all pretty expensive. My list of "really good" ss amps under $5k and $10k retail is: Ayre V5x ($4500) and Pass X350 ($9000). Perhaps some will object to this brevity, but I don't know of any others that are as good as these two in their price range. If you can find either, listen to it, preferably with a good tube preamp. You have been warned, though: you'll find it hard to go back to budget gear.

I don't want to tempt myself by listening to a 4500 amp...yet. I'm kind of leaning forward to an Dynaco ST-70/Klipsch combination.

Tubes probably matter most in the power amp but a tube preamp can add quite alot of tubeyness. Or, like the Audio Research LS 16 I use just add a little bit of that magic to make everything just right. I personally couldn't have a tube amp as too much smoothness kills the inner detail. I started with a Cary AE 3 preamp which was very rich and liquid but was too much for me. It has some wonderful attributes especially for vocals though but the bass and detail wasn't there for me. The ARC preamp however is just right. I'm driving a Parasound Hca 3500 SS amp which isn't noted for being the most smooth ss amp out there but with the Audio Research pre things are smooth and grainfree, ss nasties are gone. I'd been using a Krell preamp before the Cary and the little Cary was easily more enjoyable to listen to than the Krell. You can have too much ss sound too but you can find a balance you'll like with just a preamp IMO.

I really think the power amp is where tubes matter the most. My experience is more limited to guitar amps, but they certainly are amplifiers.

I own a class A tube preamp made by Matchless, which is quite a great item, btw. I also own a '67 Fender Super Reverb. While the preamp is a great thing to bring to a rehearsal room so I can warm up the inevitable Solid State Roland Jazz Chorus I'll find there, it just can't sound as good as the all-tube Fender.

I find that I get the best tone from any amp (clean tone, that is, which is what you're looking for in an audio setting), by keeping the preamp levels as low as possible in favor of cranking the power amp, at least up to the clipping point. Granted, each component may have a sweet spot where you have to set the gain higher on the pre to get the most out of it, but in general, I'd prefer to hear the sound of the power amp opened up than the pre.

As such, I'd much prefer to have a tube power amp and ss pre, if forced to make the choice, than the other way around.

D