Tube vs solid state vs hybrid?

Keep in mind that there are so many sound signatures available from tubes that you cannot generalize the sound. There is no typical tube sound. The zound depends on the circuit used, tubes used, how the tubes are biased, and a dozen other things.

I prefer tubes from a practical standpoint. When chips go out of production, they're gone. Just-in-time inventory means that there will be few, if any, spares. Worse, everything is locked down with IP so remanufacturing a chip will get you sued. So if you have a ten year old solid state amp blow its outputs, you have a doorstop. Also, solid state is built on PCBs. Desoldering/resoldering PCBs is a pain. You can easily lift pads or cut traces. PCBs sometimes scorch when something goes. Sometimes, they can't be repaired.

Tubes are easy to find and are being remanufactured. I have a radio made in 1946. I can still get all the tubes. The radio is also built point-to-point. That is, components are connected to tie points and individual wires connect the circuit. If a wire scorches, cut it out, cut a new piece of wire, and solder it in. Just takes a few minutes. The same fault on a PCB could destroy it. So if you have tubes built point-to-point, it can be repaired for decades, probably longer.

Also, tube circuits are (generally) simpler than solid state. Fewer components mean fewer points of failure. They're easier to build, too.

Don't get me wrong, solid state can sound fantastic and units sometimes stay in service for years. But when something goes wrong, you might have to throw it out. That doesn't happen with tubed gear. As long as it is point-to-point, you can always get it working again.

I find my tube amps more closer to the live sound of music. The organic sound and clarity of the instruments and tone are more appealing to me than solid state amps.  I also like the fact that I can change the sound of my amps with tube swaps. I too prefer point to point builds as my amps are designed that way. Tubes are easy to come by but since I do not have tube testers I choose premier tube vendors for my tubes. But I do admit solid state designs have come a long way but my preference will always be the glass bottles.

The final decision is sound.

I want a tube somewhere in the rig. The reason is most of the music I listen to was made with tubes.
Edited by Happy Camper - 7/17/11 at 8:04am