Survey: Tube pre/SS amp, vice versa, or same?

That's an interesting amp I read the review in High Fidelity in addition to the tubed preamp it uses a novel SS circuit as I remember.

 

Yes, it utilizes a very interesting and elegant design. You can find details here:

Circle Labs A200 Integrated Amplifier - Positive Feedback

and here, through a Google translate link to a Polish site:

Circle Labs A200

 

I've been all SS for many years in my main rig. But I do keep a tube integrated as a spare which I'll pop in once a year or so just to remind myself why I'm all SS

 

I love high power low efficiency loudspeakers so I am SS power amps all the way.

Anybody priced out a 300 watt per channel power amp with tubes recently?
How about TWO of these? (as I use dual 300 watt RMS stereo power amps in a bi-amp config).

As for running a tube preamp---I have thought about it.
But my Bryston BP25p is so alive clear noiseless and musical that I just never seem to get around to actually pulling the trigger on a nice McIntosh c2200.

I have compared solid state pres to tube ones and yes, there is something liquid about tubes.
But a truly advanced SS preamp can sound less "transistory" than you might think.
And it is always nice to turn it up to clipping and not hear a peep out of my entire power chain. No hiss at ALL. Nothing. Black.

Yeah baby.
THAT'S what I'm talking about!

 

After a couple of tube preamps ( and no preamp at all for a bit, using an Esoteric front end direct into the amps ), I went back to SS. Missed the detail that the tube preamps were not capturing. Had to find the right combo of SS power amps and pre but having done that, can't say I miss tubes in my system. The last tube pre I bought is now relegated to headphone amp duty.

D.D.

 

I was a tube pre and amp guy for 30+ years but with the quality of current tubes declining and prices escalating, I finally gave up the ghost and I’m SS all the way. Plus I now generally listen for about 4 hours a day. I switched to all Pass in both systems and couldn’t be happier.

 

Tommy, What can I say, you have gone over to the dark side ( or maybe I should say the bright side ).

 

Well almost all SS except for the Tape Preamp which is Doshi. It even gets worse since installing the Esoteric Grandioso digital stack, I stream 80% of the time.