I have heard a lot of good tube amps, owned quite a fair number of them, own some now. Some of the my favorite amps have been tube amps. My favorite amp ATM happens to be solid state. As I type this I am looking across a couple of tubes in boxes which arrived today so its kind of funny (to me anyhow) to see the reaction to my offhand comment about electronics which itself was in response to the comment that was equating solid state to fast food.
My comment was about electronics (what I do) not music (what I enjoy). Nowhere did I say that tubes=bad sound. In fact, what I said was "the extra - goodness of tubes is that ultra satisfying emotional context you can get when tubes are an essential part of a synergistic pairing." I thought I was complementing the use of tubes.
Electronics are electronics, they can be measured. Musically enjoyment cannot. Noise as in S/N. THD, current drive, and efficiency whether that is measured as consumption or waste is something that can be measured. Look at the specs for any high end tube amp and they simply will not match up to the specs of a similarly priced solid state design (on those measurements). In fact, they probably won't match up to a much lower cost solid state design. Those are facts. Not my facts, not my opinion, they are the measured output from the manufacturers themselves. Does that make either better, more musical, more enjoyable.. nope. well, not necessarily anyhow. Again, this doesn't make me anti-tube it just means that there is more to understanding how to put a system together than the measurements would have you believe and in some cases, I choose to have tubes as an essential, synergistic part of my system.
The second half of what I said was:
"The HE-500 in my opinion is better driven by a tube-hybrid or solid state design. It needs the extra control and its already detailed character will amplify any issues with any substandard tubes out there."
That is more of a knock on the HE-500 (which I own, am quite fond of, but to be nitpicky..)
"The LYR is a hybrid amp and was designed with a solid state output section specifically because it delivers the current required for orthos (like the HE-500)."
That isn't opinion, that is fact, one that the designer has openly stated. It makes sense, the design trade off was to take the best capabilities of both designs, add some magic, and TADA... schiit happens..(in a good way). I think they did a great job of meeting all of the design targets with the LYR... thats why I own one.
In respect to this incredibly derailed thread, I have the HE-500 coupled with the LYR (w/ OMG ----- TUBES!), and am auditioning a decware as soon as time allows. My DAC/pre is the incredible Anedio D1, all SS.