I've been around the industry and an avid audiophile since 71 or so. It's really as simple as listening. I've heard a lot of speakers with tubes that were voiced' with SS. If you speak with a lot of the speaker designers, they'll tell you that they don't even 'voice' their speakers. I know one who told me a couple of weeks ago that the first time he hears his designs can be after they are in production. I know how that sounds, but his speakers are considered some of the best ever made and are one of the biggest names ever in high end audio.
I've heard this guys amps with SS as well as tubes. They sound great with both. Personally I'm a tube guy, but I just got an Ayre and it's the best SS I've heard to date.
I think too many of us get caught up in tech specs etc.. Heck, I have MIT MH 770 CVT speaker cables I"m about to sell off. They were made for tube gear and it's with their highest speaker cables. I used them with Quicksilver pre/silver mono's (selling them off ;) ). They sounded awesome compared to every cable I tried with the amps. Now I'm running an Ayre integrated as I am moving over to a remote control system. The cables sound awesome. I'm changing them to AQ since the Vandy's I"m going to eventually purchase were made with the AQ cables in mind. That said, I have listened to the various cables I'm looking at. Trust in the person who's shop you buy at as they are with these products daily and listen to systems not just components.
Not taking anything away from the question I hope as I find it interesting to say the least. I had this same conversation when I got my Proacs with Quicksilvers as I hated the Krell stuff with them (other than the Krell DAC I got), but I listened to them with both SS as well as AR and Quicksilvers it was tubes all day for me. That said, I know someone who got the same speakers with Levinson gear and the bass was unreal and made me want more. The amps offered different sounds and both would appeal to different listeners.
I've heard this guys amps with SS as well as tubes. They sound great with both. Personally I'm a tube guy, but I just got an Ayre and it's the best SS I've heard to date.
I think too many of us get caught up in tech specs etc.. Heck, I have MIT MH 770 CVT speaker cables I"m about to sell off. They were made for tube gear and it's with their highest speaker cables. I used them with Quicksilver pre/silver mono's (selling them off ;) ). They sounded awesome compared to every cable I tried with the amps. Now I'm running an Ayre integrated as I am moving over to a remote control system. The cables sound awesome. I'm changing them to AQ since the Vandy's I"m going to eventually purchase were made with the AQ cables in mind. That said, I have listened to the various cables I'm looking at. Trust in the person who's shop you buy at as they are with these products daily and listen to systems not just components.
Not taking anything away from the question I hope as I find it interesting to say the least. I had this same conversation when I got my Proacs with Quicksilvers as I hated the Krell stuff with them (other than the Krell DAC I got), but I listened to them with both SS as well as AR and Quicksilvers it was tubes all day for me. That said, I know someone who got the same speakers with Levinson gear and the bass was unreal and made me want more. The amps offered different sounds and both would appeal to different listeners.