[Norman M. Schwartz]

RapidRonnie wrote:
3. Compared to solid state, tube amps are a pain in the ass. They
hum, hiss, burble, and motorboat, either out of the box, or many
years before a SS amp would be vulnerable to aging components.


Nonsense. Solid state amps fail hard and take speakers with them all
the time. Tube ones rarely do. They are easier for the hobbyist to
troubleshoot.

Good tubes, their matched pairs, etc. are expensive and not easy to find.
Useful individual tube life is a variable. Many listeners are constantly
concerned, listening for signs of their wear, buy and stock replacement
tubes, spend their listening time listening to the tubes, comparing the
sound of various tubes, their manufacturer, and then very model of a "6550"
etc, etc.) rather than the music. Most often tube amps generate more heat,
than their SS counterparts, and _may_ require the use of noise producing
fans and extensive ventilation. One shouldn't choose to stack other
equipment above them, and eventually self-destruct because of the heat they
generate. Caged or uncaged their heat is a threat to pets and young
children.In the end analysis their characteristic sound has to be a mix of
the nature of the tubes employed and the amp itself.