Markwatkiss, the wine analogy is very apt. . . I would even push it so far as saying that most wines are sadly poor, with reds and whites tending to the 'terrible' each in their own idiosyncratic ways. . . then there are a few marvellous ones. . . red, white, and some. . . rose. . . . and so are stereo components. I do confess of having a preference for certain full bodied reds, yet I do recognize cheerily that SS is not necessarily for everyone.
can a tube-o-phile be happy with ss?
I switched to tubes over a decade ago, after realizing that I no longer listened to the stereo because it did not sound like real music and ss and digital were irritating, on a subconscious level. Went to all tubes and mostly LP's. It worked. I even prefer triode with no negative feedback settings, usually. Now ss has supposedly improved, and its advantages beckon, e.g., less heat, electricity and trouble, better bass and perhaps more detail and clarity. Have any of you voluntarily gone back to the dark side and been content? (with the understanding that it never really ends, for an audiophile). On an unlimited budget one might have few complaints, but this question is necessarily in the context of a semblance of fiscal sanity, not top of the line Boulder, Ayre or Zanden.