Should I get Tubes or SS?

[mike stehr]

The best value is to stab your ears out with a pencil and not listen to anything.

[TasDom]

6 minutes ago, mike stehr said:

The best value is to stab your ears out with a pencil and not listen to anything.

Mechanical or wood pencil?

[mike stehr]

Well if value is a concern, then the cheapest #2 pencil would be perfectly adequate.

[svberger]

I'm using a Sherwood S-8900a receiver(ss) presently with my Cornwall II's, and the sound is every bit as rich and satisfying as the sound from my Dynaco MKIII's, or previous adventures that I've taken with tube gear from Fisher, Heathkit, Eico, etc, not to mention lots of other more expensive ss gear, including a McIntosh MC250 that I presently use. I do use the phono and tuner out of a Mac MX110 tube pre just to keep things honest. My point is that quality is quality, whether tube or ss, and it doesn't have to cost a lot.  Of course, I have yet to find anything that actually sounds "bad" with my Cornwalls. That helps. 

[Schu]

Best value... Buy used.

[AKD200]

On 9/8/2017 at 3:24 PM, Davecv41 said:

But be sure to use Klipsch ear buds with it.

Thats what I use!  They are pretty nice!

[DeanG Crossovers]

On 9/9/2017 at 11:31 AM, mike stehr said:

The best value is to stab your ears out with a pencil and not listen to anything.

lol. Very funny. 

[ssh]

The best value for dollar/sound that I have had from an amp is with a Scott 299. I have several amps that I would rate "better", but the Scott does duty with my KP 201s impressively.

SSH

[Don Richard]

It's not so much whether SS or tubes are used for amplification, but rather the class of amplification. Class A has the best sound, SS or tubes.

 

[thebes]

Maybe, but don't forget the real limitations of Class A.  Granted we run efficient speakers but not everyday else does, and some of those SS Class A designs put out more heat than a tube amplifier, can be noisy and are woefully inefficient.

 

If you are going to get into amplifier topologies why not Class D?  Quiet, efficient, neutral, and cheap.

[unclefred]

I think Emotiva has gone to switching supplies and Class H topology. Maybe G, not sure, but a lot of pro amps are class H. Another efficient design. 

[Max2]

Didn't PWK run a Brooks tube amp?   I think he and many other "audio giants"also longed for  solid state to finally arrive and get rid of the downfalls of tubes.  Now we are chasing modern tube topo's that sound like tubes, yet fight the inaccuracies of them?    

 

Value to me is not something cheap, its something that is going to hold that value when Im ready to move on to something else, which is what this hobby is all about.

 

In that case, buy a set of MC 30's or a MC 225.  I would lean towards the 30's.    Then when you want to sell, you get what you paid and then can go after that uber McIntosh SS amp.

 

 

[unclefred]

[moray james]

goof friend of mine has top of the line Alnic equipment (every piece phono pre to premp to dac to 300 b mono blocks) Pre amp is 10K amps are 10K each. Fit finish and build are all state of the art. system sounds really good but costs an arm and a leg. All the tubes are aftermarket sota tubes over 10K in tubes on had. He still has problems and so far as I can see tubes were and are and always will be a pita. So far as I am concerned my new Benchmark AHB2 eats his stuff up at a tiny fraction of the cost. I doubt I will bother to ever buy another amplifier. If you like to piddle around tubes are great. The wrote a song about tubes. Roll roll roll your tubes every other week spending a lot for all that you got listening's just a dream.

[Don Richard]

On ‎9‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 4:09 PM, thebes said:

Maybe, but don't forget the real limitations of Class A.  Granted we run efficient speakers but not everyday else does, and some of those SS Class A designs put out more heat than a tube amplifier, can be noisy and are woefully inefficient.

 

If you are going to get into amplifier topologies why not Class D?  Quiet, efficient, neutral, and cheap.

 

There are Class D tube amps? Guess I missed that one.