What type of amps do you use? Tube? Solid State? Both? Hybrid?

**Mike** · May 30, 2015, 06:07 PM

Tube
Solid State
Both
Hybrid

Vote above.

**Garth** · May 30, 2015, 06:09 PM

I have both I use soild state

**joeinid** · May 30, 2015, 06:14 PM

Every few weeks to a month, I rotate through my amps.

**bzr** · May 30, 2015, 06:15 PM

Tubes on the mids & treble, ss on the generators

**Mike** · May 30, 2015, 06:23 PM

One of our members asked me to run a poll....so please vote!

**FlexibleAudio** · May 30, 2015, 07:11 PM

Hybrid gets better gas mileage.

**PMCH** · May 30, 2015, 08:16 PM

I prefer solid state.

**Dpod4** · May 30, 2015, 08:17 PM

Solid State. Tubes threw too much heat, couldn't grip my Magicos well enough, and many great SS exist now that have delicacy and spaciousness of tubes.

**cmalak** · May 30, 2015, 08:41 PM

Tubes

**jdandy** · May 30, 2015, 08:53 PM

> Tube preamp on solid state power amps

> Solid state preamp on tube power amps

> Solid state preamp/tube power amp integrated amp

> Solid state pre/pro on solid state amps

**dlb2** · May 30, 2015, 08:54 PM

Tubes Rule!

**a.wayne** · May 30, 2015, 09:40 PM

Tube rule or tube drool.

**XV-1** · May 30, 2015, 09:49 PM

Both T and S

**dan31** · May 30, 2015, 10:18 PM

Straight SS Spectral in the main system. Tube OTL for headphones and old pre is tube with SS amp for 2 channel HT.

**MusicDirector** · May 31, 2015, 11:04 AM

All I have is solid state, but I would like to try a hybrid or even just a tube someday.

**FlexibleAudio** · May 31, 2015, 11:27 AM

To my ears even-order harmonic distortion (tubes) is overall more musical than odd-order (SS) but tubes are limited in damping and the grunt required by many of todays modern speaker designs.

Therefore my plan has been to use tubes for the itty-bitty phono signal and turn it over to SS for the heavy lifting.

If I ever were to do a second system it would be all SET with the required high efficiency box speakers. (At the speed I put together systems don't hold your breath.)

**Golucid** · June 27, 2015, 03:14 PM

Mike, as you know, huge tube fan. I own six McIntosh MC2301s.

BUT!

I recently also purchased the McIntosh MC402 Solid State for fun.

**Audio 1** · June 27, 2015, 03:19 PM

Solid state amp w/tube pre.

**asindc** · June 27, 2015, 04:52 PM

Tube pre
SS amps

**Mike Lavigne** · June 27, 2015, 05:13 PM

I use solid state.....but prefer tubes mostly.

just saying 'solid state' leaves a very incomplete picture.

over a 20 year period I went from mega solid state -> OTL mid powered tubes -> mega watt tube/ss hybrid -> minimalist modest powered solid state with zero global feedback and minimal parts count that sounded 'like tubes' -> to mega watt solid state with zero global feedback and even lower parts count in the signal path.

my experience with OTL tube amps showed me that tubes can be linear throughout the frequency range and not rolled off or rounded. but the right solid state could also do that and yet have a lower noise floor and greater dynamic grip....given the right speaker to drive.

if I listed my top 10 favorite amps 8 of them would be tube amps.

I like solid state amps that have tube attributes. and that is what I use.

I use a solid state pre with those same perspectives. and low noise floor is particularly advantageous with a preamp.

**G-PROG** · July 7, 2015, 09:45 AM

Tubes/OTL

**joeinid** · July 7, 2015, 11:21 AM

Welcome to the forum G-PROG.

**Ritmo** · July 7, 2015, 11:28 AM

Solid state amp with Tube pre.

**bayou985** · July 7, 2015, 08:11 PM

Solid/State

**audio.bill** · July 7, 2015, 08:29 PM

I run solid state pre and power amps by choice, since I have had incredibly bad luck with tube gear maintenance. However I feel that you can get good sounding tube gear at a lower price point, and to achieve a similar level of musicality and listenability can be far more expensive with solid state gear. To each their own!

**Jerome W** · July 8, 2015, 02:57 AM

Tubes and SS.
But Tubes Rule !

**Al M.** · July 8, 2015, 04:01 AM

I use parallel push-pull triode amps (2 x 15 W) for my main speakers, high-efficiency mini-monitors, but my subwoofer has a 150 W SS amp built-in. I would vote hybrid, but it''s not really a hybrid amp. I couldn't vote both because I don't rotate as specified, so I'm rather dissatisfied with the poll choices. I therefore abstain from the poll, any vote that I would cast would not really represent my system.

**tunes** · July 8, 2015, 07:32 AM

Tubes and SS

**veindoc** · July 8, 2015, 08:42 AM

solid state on main system.
Currently evaluating tubes as my headphone amp. Going to Head-fi meeting July 18 north of SF to help make my decision.

Nick

**MDP** · July 8, 2015, 12:42 PM

SS Hegel H30 SS Classe pre

**puroagave** · July 8, 2015, 10:58 PM

squalid state preamps/tube power amp

every time i go back to SS preamps I feel like I took 2 steps forward in one dept and 2-3 steps backward somewhere else. i have a tube power amp because i need tubes somewhere, they always bring a certain 'humanity' to the music.

**JackD201** · July 9, 2015, 04:24 AM

I do all of the above so I don't have a poll choice LOL.

**Dpod4** · July 9, 2015, 11:09 AM

Originally Posted by puroagave

squalid state preamps/tube power amp

every time i go back to SS preamps I feel like I took 2 steps forward in one dept and 2-3 steps backward somewhere else. i have a tube power amp because i need tubes somewhere, they always bring a certain 'humanity' to the music.

Agreed - tubes somewhere in the chain are a necessity - I like them closer to the source. And easier that way since tube amps never quite gripped my speakers and always threw a lot of heat.

**GaryProtein** · July 10, 2015, 11:18 AM

Solid state amplifiers and pre-amps.

I have neither the time nor the interest to play with and roll tubes.

I spend my time actually listening to the music, not the components.

**randrew2** · July 10, 2015, 12:39 PM

Mixture of tube and solid state equipment here.

**ctop** · July 10, 2015, 01:11 PM

I've always preferred solid state class A for amps and tube for pre amps.

**Zero** · July 10, 2015, 01:41 PM

As of now, my main amps are ALL purely solid state.

That said, I always make sure to keep a tube somewhere in the chain. That's just my bias.

**MDP** · July 10, 2015, 02:23 PM

I forgot to mention I have a tube phono stage.

**cooper52** · August 10, 2015, 06:54 PM

Solid state, always have been. I recently heard a high-end tube system (Aesthetix, though I think their amplifier is a hybrid design) and I certainly understand the appeal, it just didn't suit my own taste. Or budget, for that matter.

**wisnon** · August 10, 2015, 08:37 PM

Is dilithium core antimatter flux generator an option to choose here? Vanishing distortion and unparalleled musicality is the hallmark of this topology.

**stump** · August 10, 2015, 09:00 PM

LineMagnetic 219IA / LM129 Line preamp setup for winter and Vitus SIA-025 at other times.For me its the best of both worlds I can afford!!
Stump

**a.wayne** · August 10, 2015, 09:39 PM

I sold mine last year, way too sensitive .....

Originally Posted by wisnon

Is dilithium core antimatter flux generator an option to choose here? Vanishing distortion and unparalleled musicality is the hallmark of this topology.

**cfz** · March 19, 2016, 06:52 PM

I'm running a Leben CS600 now, but previously had some vintage restored receivers like the Pioneer SX-1250 and Luxman R-1120. All are/were fantastic amps in their own way.

**Kuoppis** · March 20, 2016, 12:20 AM

Tubes offer the liquidity, which is great, but SS deliver the punch. And I grew tired of my system sounding different every day.

Ergo: All SS system, except for the phono pre tubes are a must.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

**kzhtoo** · March 20, 2016, 02:27 AM

SS Pass XA30.8. I like moderately lower wattage class A amp pairing with moderately higher efficiency speakers.

**Milk_vanilla** · March 20, 2016, 04:17 AM

SS, karan acoustic

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**Big B** · March 20, 2016, 07:07 AM

I have moved back to SS. Been there for while now.

**jadedavid** · March 20, 2016, 09:02 AM

I love the dimensionality, ambiance and midrange tonality that my 300b tube amps produce. However, just to stay grounded, I occasionally roll in my Clayton M70's Class A SS's.
The whole thing about amps is to find the right balancing act (synergy) between them and your speakers.

**Walter** · March 20, 2016, 01:38 PM

tubes

**joeinid** · March 20, 2016, 01:46 PM

Welcome Walter.

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Thread: What type of amps do you use? Tube? Solid State? Both? Hybrid?

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