[aertus]

I know people will argue which one is better etc to no end but I think i would probably lean towards solid states because newer technology. However, I think this article does something well in explaining that for some its purely an aesthetic choice https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-miracle-of-a-150-or-less-tube-amplifier-1445452602. And I feel in love with how tube amps look they are so retro and awesome looking.
 
now outside of looking cool as hell is there ever time when someone would pick a tube amp over a solid state? Cuz I know there are some crazily priced dac/amps. Personally i would use a tube amp for home but if Im on the go much rather pick a dragonfly dac or just my phone. ALso, maybe a tube amp makes sense for speakers which gives it a differnece in sound. I see lots of DAC/amp that can go for really expensive price tags. And Im thinking does it really have to be that expensive when the source of that is your phone, pc, lapotop etc. All it does is just amplify the sound that comes from your phone so I don't understand why they cost so much like for example the Chord Eletronics Dave. They are all gonna take source from Mp3 files and FLAC/HIres from your phone or pc so why do they cost so much? Is it really a scam does it really make a difference?
 
Tube AMPS LOOK COOL

 

[Dulalala]

Well tube amps don't sound like solid state amps. If you like the way a tube sounds, then you pick a tube, if not get a solid state. The tube sound is probably achievable through EQ, though but I've never tried so I can't say for sure whether it is or isn't.

When it comes to TOTL DACs and amps, there is a difference objectively, some will have less distortion or more power etc but whether you can hear that difference is a different story. I quite honestly can't tell the difference in quality but maybe others can. It sounds a little different I guess, depending on the DAC or amp, but I'm not sure whether that's a placebo or not and just because it sounds different, that doesn't necessarily mean better. You can try demoing some TOTL DAC or amps for yourself (with volume leveling) and see whether you can tell if it's better or not.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

 
now outside of looking cool as hell is there ever time when someone would pick a tube amp over a solid state?

 

An OTL can pour (practically unnecessary) levels of voltage into a high impedance headphone for a lot less money than a balanced solid state with the same voltage output level.

 

Some OTL tube amps also have low damping factor, so that means less control over the driver movement. Kind of like how some people deliberately drive old 911s with era-specific tyres instead of using newer, slightly wider rubber. Or how some people instead of hitting the apex like a normal driver will slide the whole way (murdering the tyres along that path) because Initial D and Tokyo Drift was soooooooooooo uberristably kewl.
 

 
And Im thinking does it really have to be that expensive when the source of that is your phone, pc, lapotop etc.

 

If the computer or hell, a smartphone/tablet puts 16/44.1 with no EQ or resampling then what's the problem. It's doing what an expensive CD transport would do, except a fullsize computer built for performance tends to have a noisy cooling system to offset that performance; one that can run on Zero Fan on an idling graphics card and a motherboard that can dial down all the intake and exhaust fans plus the CPU fan (or use a fanless tower cooler) gets around most of that.

 

Also, while a CD transport can look rad as hell...

 
...some of them will break your back...

 
...when the whole point in building them like tanks is to dampen vibration. Something you can circumvent by not having moving parts in the first place (and then if it's a device built to do something else, just disable those, ie, Airplane Mode).

 
 
 
 

 
I see lots of DAC/amp that can go for really expensive price tags. And Im thinking does it really have to be that expensive when the source of that is your phone, pc, lapotop etc. All it does is just amplify the sound that comes from your phone so I don't understand why they cost so much like for example the Chord Eletronics Dave. 

 

DAC-HPamps don't "just amplify."

 

Amp - amplifies signal from...

DAC - ...Digital to Analogue Converter

 

Using one with a phone bypasses the audio chip in a phone. It's basically an iintegrated DAC and HPamp of sorts; kind of like an AMD A8, which has a CPU and GPU in the same die. A high efficiency, high isolation IEM is kind of like DOTA on the respective hardware, and neither of these will do on an HE500 and Total War on Ultra with Vsync, MSAA, and SSOA all running. As much as the amp is what really matters though bypassing even the DAC stage reduces the chances of noise and other possible issues when using a half-line out, half-headphone driver output to send a signal into an amp.

 

 

 

 

 

 
Personally i would use a tube amp for home but if Im on the go much rather pick a dragonfly dac or just my phone. ALso, maybe a tube amp makes sense for speakers which gives it a differnece in sound.

 

A tube amp will sound different if it was made to sound different. Like having lower damping factor so the bass might go louder (on some headphones; on other headphones the effect is the opposite) even if sometimes it usually comes out loud and loose (kind of like a Motley Crue groupie I suppose, and I'd like some of that at The Dollhouse in Fort Lauderdale...). Sometimes, Norah Jones will sound like she needs to snort spicy chicken soup, and some people think that sounds great (Nurgle wants all musicians to have sinusitis I suppose).