[Bob in St. Louis]

My frozen beer mugs have been cryo'd........beat that losers. 

Bob

[toobluvr]

Don't put that cryoed beer mug on any ol coaster....

It belongs on an elevator made from rare Brazilian rainforest wood that is cut into the Cardas golden ratio.

You have been beaten.

Next?

 

[Bob in St. Louis]

Oh...Mine is carved soapstone from Sedona Arizona.

Not quite as sophisticated as yours is. I feel so inferior. 

Bob

[bummrush]

yep things do go better with bud,oops budweiser

[Bob in St. Louis]

What a coincidence....I'm drinking Bud from a bottle.....a glass bottle.....Kinda like a large vacuum tube!

[funkmonkey]

  Racer 5 - IPA and tubes provides a lot of hoppy bloom, especially in my mid section. 

[JakeJ]

Wow!  The thread went from almost complete disintegration to discussion to just plain fun and jokin' around.  Thanks to those who contributed and nerts to those who just thread-crap. 

Yip, I think you're correct Mark. Thanks for the translation. Based on his post I'm convinced he's doing drugs, for a minute there I was thinking I needed a small dose of similar medication to understand the line of reasoning. 
There are a few of us digital fans who are grounded in reality. 

Bob

I don't think it's drugs or alcohol, you yust need a doug s. decoder ring, Yust send $9.95 plus $19.95 for shipping and handling to Yake Yacobson.  We accept all forms of payment including money, gold, silver, platinum, live or dead chickens, etc., etc., etc. 

As to beating the dead horse, I disagree as long as we all bring up those things we feel are virtues or vices of tubes and solid-state.  And, of course, conduct ourselves in a mannered and polite way!

Maybe we can argue about tubes & beer vs. SS & beer.

Tubes + beer will give a richer, rounder and more full bodied flavor.
SS + beer will give a flatter, leaner and drier flavor.

 

So would this be like a comparison of microbrews vs. domestic mainstream brews?    Or have opend yet another can of worms?

Yes, I just got home from work and popped open a Deschutes Brewery "Inversion IPA" after an extended stay at my least favorite place.  Mmmm...mighty tasty. Now it's time for tunes!

[turkey]

The title is still loaded.  A better way to word it would have been, "Tubes or Solid-State - Which Do You Prefer and Why?".  Far more neutral from an emotional standpoint.

Well...it's off to work for a 12 hour day.  I'll see how things have progressed when I get home.

Have a nice day and play nice.

Jake

Even that is going to lead to arguments, I think.

An interesting question to ask in this circle might be "Does anyone prefer to combine tubes and SS in one system? If so, why?

That might get some opinions about the strengths and weaknesses of both without starting out as being adversarial.

Other than that, I think Senor Borg was right - you should stop threads like this as soon as people start throwing stones. Yes, there has been some interesting stuff said, but it's increased your workload by making you monitor it carefully.

[Niteshade]

Hybrid designs have ALLOT of potential! Mixing the two technologies in separate boxes as many have stated works well too. I have heard terrible and unremarkable sounding hybrids as well. It just matters how it's done.

[turkey]

Yes, I just got home from work and popped open a Deschutes Brewery "Inversion IPA" after an extended stay at my least favorite place.   Mmmm...mighty tasty. Now it's time for tunes!

I don't agree. I really don't like IPAs.

[iGrant]

Maybe we can argue about tubes & beer vs. SS & beer.

One of my sales lines and I have done the research is that when listening to SS and your beer is finished, you go get another one, when listening to tubes and your beer is finished, you wait for the song or album to end, then go get another one.

That to me sums up the whole tube vs. SS debate.

Cheers,
Ian

[turkey]

Maybe we can argue about tubes & beer vs. SS & beer.

One of my sales lines and I have done the research is that when listening to SS and your beer is finished, you go get another one, when listening to tubes and your beer is finished, you wait for the song or album to end, then go get another one.

That to me sums up the whole tube vs. SS debate.

Cheers,
Ian

I find that this depends more upon the music than what gear I'm listening to it on.

[toobluvr]

Maybe we can argue about tubes & beer vs. SS & beer.

One of my sales lines and I have done the research is that when listening to SS and your beer is finished, you go get another one, when listening to tubes and your beer is finished, you wait for the song or album to end, then go get another one.

That to me sums up the whole tube vs. SS debate.

Cheers,
Ian

I find that this depends more upon the music than what gear I'm listening to it on.

I think he's saying that same music, when listened to with tubes keeps him involved and wanting to listen more than that same music with SS.  This is a direct comparison of tube vs. SS reproduction with a specific piece of music, not a comparison of different pieces of music.

[Tyson]

Hybrid designs have ALLOT of potential! Mixing the two technologies in separate boxes as many have stated works well too. I have heard terrible and unremarkable sounding hybrids as well. It just matters how it's done.

Most Hybrid designs I've heard basically sound like SS, there's very little tube influence on the sound. 

[Niteshade]

I totally agree- but believe me, it **can** be different AND positive! 


"Most Hybrid designs I've heard basically sound like SS, there's very little tube influence on the sound.  "

[turkey]

Maybe we can argue about tubes & beer vs. SS & beer.

One of my sales lines and I have done the research is that when listening to SS and your beer is finished, you go get another one, when listening to tubes and your beer is finished, you wait for the song or album to end, then go get another one.

That to me sums up the whole tube vs. SS debate.

Cheers,
Ian

I find that this depends more upon the music than what gear I'm listening to it on.

I think he's saying that same music, when listened to with tubes keeps him involved and wanting to listen more than that same music with SS.  This is a direct comparison of tube vs. SS reproduction with a specific piece of music, not a comparison of different pieces of music.

And I was saying that the music I am listening to matters more in terms of keeping me involved and wanting to listen than the gear I'm listening to it on - tubes or SS.

[doug s.]

...I don't think it's drugs or alcohol, you yust need a doug s. decoder ring, Yust send $9.95 plus $19.95 for shipping and handling to Yake Yacobson.  We accept all forms of payment including money, gold, silver, platinum, live or dead chickens, etc., etc., etc. 

the only thing wrong w/this scenario is that if you want the doug s. decoder ring, you better send the cash to doug s.   

anonymous...

[TheChairGuy]

And I was saying that the music I am listening to matters more in terms of keeping me involved and wanting to listen than the gear I'm listening to it on - tubes or SS.

I have never gotten goosebumps listening to all solid state system (wherever it was, including my home) and a digital technology. CD / SACD / DVD-A or computer hardrive.  DVD-A closest to it, tho.

I have gotten some goosebumps listening to vinyl on all solid state system.

I have been sonically pleased listening to all tube systems and digital technologies.  No goosebumps, however.

I have gotten some goosebumps listening to a digital technology with some tubes in line.

I have most often gotten goosebumps in systems playing vinyl and some (not all) tubes in line


Conclusions drawn from above in 30 years (certainly by no means fact save my experience(s):

1.  Tubes are not necessarily needed to enjoy vinyl (I've found dual mono throughout more helpful, frankly )

2.  Tubes in some measure are needed to enjoy digital technology

3.  Among digital technologies that I have heard, only DVD-A is a real advance on CD. (doomed as it is )

Take the above for what it is - I don't have any hoof in any camp; it's just my experience(s).

John

[iGrant]

Maybe we can argue about tubes & beer vs. SS & beer.

One of my sales lines and I have done the research is that when listening to SS and your beer is finished, you go get another one, when listening to tubes and your beer is finished, you wait for the song or album to end, then go get another one.

That to me sums up the whole tube vs. SS debate.

Cheers,
Ian

I find that this depends more upon the music than what gear I'm listening to it on.

I think he's saying that same music, when listened to with tubes keeps him involved and wanting to listen more than that same music with SS.  This is a direct comparison of tube vs. SS reproduction with a specific piece of music, not a comparison of different pieces of music.

When the beer comes out I generally go to my teenage music fav's, Genesis, Yes, ELP, the Who, Deep Purple etc, so the emotional context and love of the music is burnt in. When I have a solid state system running (and I have a lot of very nice SS systems) I find I can be easily distracted (like the beer is finished), when I'm listening to a tube system I get annoyed at distractions. Tube systems to me and that is the important part 'to me' are more involving.

The best system I have heard to date is an all SS system ($110K), I have a $900 SS amp that sounds better than my past favourite tube 'frugalphile' $900 amp. I like SS systems, I love tube systems. As I said, it was a sales line, every day I get asked the OP's question, I offer both tube and SS systems and I have never come across 2 people looking for exactly the same thing out of their audio purchases.

Cheers,
Ian

[nathanm]