Mid-fi tube vs high-end SS

It is truly  a matter of personal taste. I have both a hi end solid state  system  and a hi end tube based  system as well. After a lifetime  of solid state systems  that has ended in a mark levinson  Ayre  power pre. I feel I know a bit about the pros and cons of solid state systems  at or near the top. Having recently  developing  a tube system  of canary monoblocks  and a two box totally isolated by channel canary tube preamplifier  in many way I like that better. I do understand  you feeling that the running cost of tubes is much higher than a solid state system.  They are both very good but even though they are very much the same they are very different.  In short what I feel the difference  is the solid state system  feels like the performers are right in front of you. That is the system  that I have had a number of old men cry when they listened  to it. The sense of being there is very real. The tube system  doesn't  have that as much but it has beauty  in a way that the solid state cannot come close to. It is totally beautiful  rich  and the voices sound very wonderful.  I managed  to get some of that into.the solid state system  by using tubes in the front  end.  McIntosh  mr71, a sonic frontier  dac three, and an audio reseach  reference  phono stage.   But when you ask which is better that us personal  taste when it comes down to it. That is on the basis  that the systems  are on par with each other. 

Regards 

Being an audiophile is an art. It takes a lot of experience to get the most out of your system…matching this to that and that to this. I will say this…there are lots of great products out there. But they all have to perform in your room. If you can, learn to be an artist at getting the most out of room. Sometimes I walk into a friends house and I can sense how good it will sound…I sometimes get envious thinking how good my system would sound in that room…lol.

Just my way of saying don’t forget the biggest and most important component.
 

@knotscott  The 2 owners are friends, Dennis and Jim Salk. Quite a history between the 2 men. Some years ago Dennis made speakers and sold them for so cheap (high quality) but he made no money, actually lost money and overworked eventually he had to stop completely due to medical reason. Jim Salk then continued on making Dennis speakers to sell to people. Long story short, Dennis has bounced back and has started producing high-value speakers again. Even designed some new speakers for Salk recently around $16,000.

Thank you everyone for your inputs. I should've been clearer in my post. I am not moving away from tubes. Quite the opposite actually. I value my tube times so much that I just want a nice SS on the side for movies, gaming, daytime music listening, so that I could prolong the tubes life for music listening late into the night. Tubes are expensive, Quad KT170 for $550. But the NOS ones I wouldn't know where to get once they run out. 

There are some bangers SS amps at around $4k. The gato 150. The super high-value DVA M225. Frank said these monoblocks are the best amps he'd ever made in the 50 years of amp making. And the Schitt Tyrs. The Tyrs are new, not a lot of reviews but Schitt also said these are the best amps they have ever made. User experience reflects that. Imagine the Schitt Aegir but with way more power, and even better sounding. 

As you know, the BMRs will have some similarities in sound to some of the Salk models. Suggest you head over to the AC forum and do some reading on the Salk and VanAlstine threads. 

A pure class A tube amp would be under 20 watts in a Tube amp ,

50 watts pentode or ultralinear  , and$2k is just a starting point fora tube amplifiers 

One ofthe key elements is the transformers ,and chokes ,brand name like Lundahl 

that Ayon uses excellent C core type  for example is far better then , any Chinese amp like primaluna , they use torroid type which  no Highend company uses.

and inside the resistors,capacitors everything counts , I have had several Ayon  models theirSpirit 5 is ideal triode,or pentode ,even the tube sockets solid copper 

not cheap $3 brass type far better conductivity ,and machined aluminum cases,night and day better,less vibration then sheet metal ,ad microprocessor controlled per tube bias ,not Allpower tubes averaged out like most.tubes wear better and optimum bias,better sound and they are using the verygood kt150tubes.

when a tube goes bad it does not blow a transformer it goes into standby ,shows you the tube , just replace the tube ,hit there bias button and up and running .

yes abit more monies but very high quality from Austria.