Considering going back to Solid State

After recently auditioning the well regarded Schiit Audio Aegir amp (driven by curiosity clearly influenced by the extremely positive Stereophile review) in my home rig (meaning I bought the amp and returned it), I’ve moved even more toward the Tubes Just Sound Better camp. I get that SS amp designers like the brilliant Nelson Pass make beautiful sounding gear, with "tube-like" tone and otherwise world class design, I just prefer whatever actual tubes do over what transistors TRY to do. I respect Schiit’s design efforts and use a Freya tube preamp among other items, along with a Dennis Had "Inspire" single ended tube power amp (albeit tied to efficient speakers), and I’m astonished at the results. Pass has described what he thinks is the reason that a tube’s harmonic content and specific distortion profile is what makes things "musical" (or at least maybe more realistic), and I like his philosophy...the way I prefer to apply that philosophy? Tubes. SS has its place with the super clean pro power amps I own, along with a Class D Ampeg bass amp the size of a cereal box (although I’d prefer a tubed SVT but don’t play bass often enough to bother with one), and my great sounding REL subs, but to get the mojo into my earballs I seem to need whatever tubes do...my mind remains open to listen to other stuff here and there, but for my main hifi needs and guitar pickin’ it’s really hard to beat good ol’ tubes.