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Why is solid state more popular when tubes are better?

Yes tubes are more involved and require periodic maintenance. Hybrid tube components need not apply, these are really solid state.

Tubes are better for multiple reasons and yet the world and the trade prefers solid state. Those rare audio shops that are geared toward stereo listening and serious connoisseurs tend to Focus more on tubes.  Those in business who like to improve volumes tend to offer solid state.  All the YouTube channels looking to improve their business tend to be solid state.  Maybe because tubes require much more expertise to sell, and there's lesser and lesser to go around. Solid state is more of a fast food commodity.

Tubes are difficult for businesses due to all the maintenance and complexity so you see it less often. Much much easier to sell hybrids or solid state.

 

 

emergingsoul
p05129
482 posts
 

Who ever said that tubes sound better than SS? I have never heard a tube amp no matter the cost control the woofers that a SS amp can. Midrange and tweeter can sound sweet with tube amps but SS can too.

perkadin's avatar
perkadin
281 posts
 

I like both SS and Tubes. Living in South Florida I don’t get to play my tube amp as much as I’d like due to heat but my SS integrated is almost as engaging, sounds more dynamic and can play a bit louder without ever getting more then barely warm. Love them both. 

dynamiclinearity
238 posts
 

It would be simple if there was at least one perfect amplifier. There are none. Amplifiers have multiple characteristics and all of them vary their strengths and weaknesses and each of us varies in which of these characteristics and their combinations sounds 'real'. So until we can learn how to measure the perfect amp which is way in the very distant future this 'religious' argument will go on.

I can cite things tubes do better and things they do wrong and the same for solid state amps. So what. What matters is for each of us to put together a system that we can enjoy listening to.

Decades ago I met a very smart English gentleman, Percy Wilson, who for decades was a leader in audio(among many things he was technical editor of Gramaphone for decades). I was at a dinner with him and other audio greats. I was aked to drive Percy and his wife back to their hotel with an admonition from the host that Percy tell me the Zanzibar Fallacy on the drive. You can look it up on the internet. I've written about in a few times. The jist of which is that for almost all of us our sonic reference is primarily our own systems(Soryy HP).

secretguy
1,590 posts
 

It's not the 1930s.

stereopup
15 posts
 

All things being equal in terms of amplifier design quality between SS and tubes, tubes are more equal.

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