SS vs Tube: What do you hear?

I recently made a change that applies to this thread. I have not owned a SS amp in over 8 years. During that time I have played with several of the best known tube amps and have come across several great ones.I consider myself in the tube camp so to speak for the above mentioned reasons. Recently I purchased a bedroom system C/O Res audio CD50, proac 1SC. After a trial with some lower priced and powered tube amps that worked well (no surprise) I bit on an opportunity to try an Aleph 3, A SS amp you are all familiar with that has received more press in the last 4 years than any I can remember since being in this hobby. During the past 8 years I haven't even heard a SS in a quality system as I don't have any friends in the hobby and don't visit dealers. You could say my ears are virgin to good recent SS designs. I can't get over how different(not really better or worse) the Aleph3 sounds than anything I have had in the last 8 years (granted in a "new" system for me) Better low end extension, more speed, superclean with a surprising and refreshing lack of glare in the lower treble, rock solid image placement. Smaller stage size, lack of texture to the midrange that adds some sterility to the sound, somewhat compressed dynamics even compared to say an AMP 1 (sometimes makes you feel as if its holding back so as not to emit a single bad sound) Overall it is what I thought it would be in a strange way. It has its strengths and its weaknesses, and is really the best SS I have heard and has provided some great sound so far.

hi trelja,

while i *wish* i had tubes driving everything but the subs, fact is i have a pair of electrocompaniet amps driving my meret re monitors. but, yer assessment of what i think is pretty on-target! ;~)

i think these are the best compromise amps until i can afford some *megabucks* tube amps. i think for under ~$4k retail, solid-state is better, at least for me. above that, however, then i think you can find tube amplification that sacrifices little-enuff of what s/s does well, so that a tube amp is overall, more musical.

electrocompaniet amps have all the solid-state wirtues, while not having their flaws, if still not approaching the *virtues* of tubes. combined w/a nice tubed preamp, these amps work well enuff for me, until i can try some of the spendy tube stuff. i think having an excellent tubed preamp, which is less expensive to purchase & feed than an excellent tube amp, is the key to enjoying solid-state amps.

of course, i think there *are* excellent affordable set tube amps - but then, i couldn't afford the avantgarde duo's, or the jadis eurythmie's i'd want 'em to drive! ;~)

ciao for now, doug

I've had SS preamps and SS amp combinations, different tube preamps with great SS amps and then I bought a VAC Renaissance 70/70 amp to mate with my VAC preamp. That was the best up to that point but there is no argument for the bass delivered by solid state. I think I have come up with what is about as good as it gets by having tube preamp, tube amp for midrange and up by adding Genesis Model V speakers into the system to handle all the low bass you could ever ask for. The tubes get to work their magic and the servo amp gets the bass as good as I've heard bass. I love this set up and have had it for almost 3 years with not feelings of upgrading. I now mess with power cords and power conditioning instead to get the last little incremental improvements I can.