Can tube amps play loudly?

Chris- So then the answer to your question is an resolute "yes" tube amps can play "loudly" and be very satisfying at those volumes. My point was that it may not necessicarily be the information you were after as it really speaks nothing to the quaility of the presentation. Having identified yourself as a "tube newbie" I took it you were after a more thorough explanation. To answer the other question you posed in response to me: "Yes" again, there are plenty of tube-based offerings in the $1500 range, both new and used, that would be stellar performers and make for a huge improvement over your current system, at least from my musical preferences (which lean strongly towards acoustical, vocals, jazz, folk, blues and not much rock (though some) in the mix. Seek out further info by searching the archives both here and on Audioasylum. Off the top of my head, and from direct experience, I could recommend the following: Jolida 302B or 502B (the later with a bit more power and bass authority), Quicksilver Mini-Mites (most of the Quicksilver offerings would serve you well, but research before you invest there), Mesa Baron (this tube powerhouse would lean more towards the rockin' out side while giving you quite a bit of latitude in choice of presentation (switches between pentode and triode as well as in between - but this amp is also expensive to re-tube as it requires a lot of tubes). Of Hybrid amps they may also provide you with a great solution to your needs, I'd agree there. Not much experience to speak of, but I haver listened at length to the Unison Unico in two similar systems. Loved it the first time and was lukewarm the second (different room, different comparisons). There are also some SS Class A amps that may float your boat combining the warmth of tubes with the dynamics of SS. Pass Labs Aleph series does this quite well (my experience was with the Aleph 5 which is a very sweet amp indeed. The 3 and 30 are more affordable used. That brings up two more questions that you may want to answer for more focused advice from others: How big is the room you are going to be playint this system in, and does your budget have room for a preamp, or are you looking for an integrated? If you are stuck on tubes my view would be that most good push/pull designs are a good compromise for all types of programming. If you are going to go pentode you may want to consider the hybrid alternatives, or go SS as my experience with pentode is that it leans more in that direction taking away alot of the dimensionality that many associate with tubes better served by PP, Triode and SET designs. As always, just one more opinion in the fray.

Marco

This may be a terrible stereotyping thing I'm doing here, but I might suggest merely by the content of your query that you may want to investigate your reasons for wanting to go in the directions of tubes more thoroughly than you are in this query. There are some things tube amps do bette than SS amps (create a 3 dimensional soundstage and palpability that SS cannot approach), and there are things SS can do better (dynamics, headroom, micro-detail, reproducing very complex/layered/dynamic music). All of which may be arguable to some extent one way or the other by those far more knowledgeable than me on such subjects. Playing "Loudly" is perhaps a poorly chosen criteria, at least in my interpretation of your question, as to understanding the differences between the two. What kind of music do you like listening to "loudly"? If the answer is head-banging rock and roll, or complex orchestral music, sure tubes can reproduce it loudly, but SS will probably be able to give a more "accurate" pacing and do that kind of music more justice than most tube amps could. The short answer to your question is tubes can play music loud enough to drive most folks out of the room, and when thoughtfully paired with the right speakers do that without audible distortion (distortion that can be measured by instruments is another story). My 8 watt SET system can play loudly enough to fill a huge space with very realistic music that is loud enough to wake the dead. If I paired the same 8 watt amps with less efficient speakers you may wish you were dead if it were cranked that loud as you'd hear only distortion...very loud distortion at that.

Try to find some dealers in your area who are big on tubes and do some listening with the kind of music you like to listen to. If you are not in an area that offers such resources, post as much here and perhaps a generous A'goner may let you hear what tubes can do (and what they cannot).

Personally I choose tubes, but I do not think there is one single answer as to which is "better" in any respect. It is entirely a personal choice.

Marco