This is the typical give and take exchange from the two camps. Experienced listeners will decide for themselves. But I will repeat my often stated and unoriginal recommendation. If the goal is to replicate as closely as possible the original experience, then the criteria should be that type of experience. And to be best prepared for that process, one should listen extensively to live acoustic instruments and voices. As to tube or ss; most here are aware that there are so many mitigating and depreciating variables involved in the audio reproduction chain that generalizations are difficult and unreliable to make. Tube gear with certain ss qualities is admired. SS gear with certain tube qualities is admired. Etc., etc., etc. Once you are confident in the qualities you want to have and can reliably recognize those qualities for yourself, then complete the process by making a considered decision. It's normal to see more in what we don't have and that continued striving is a key aspect of the hobby for many. It's also clear that many of us are as much or more involved with the hardware the the raison d'etre for that hardware. That is a valid interest in and of itself. However, once you discount the hardware factor and select entirely on the basis of what you hear and not how others are impressed, I think that music will be enjoyed alot more and there will be much more funding available for software. The key to audiophile satisfaction is in not requiring external approval for what you like. Too much ambiguity for a simple question? Perhaps. Take it for what value it gives.
