If I'm looking for "Tube Sound", why would I put a Tube Pre in front of a SS amp?

I’m with minorl on that.

Enthusiasts will obsess over whatever aspect they choose but the more I listen the more I tend to think people’s expectations and preferences are what matter most. That and the ability to assemble a system that works well for them accordingly.

Its not that hard or expensive to make great sounding music at home these days, at least on a smaller scale, as long as one knows what they want and how to achieve it.

Oh and most importantly have realistic expectations for example expect that all recordings sound different and no system will ever make them all sound top notch or any particular one the way you might prefer it would sound. Well maybe with enough digital processing in the mix if one really must make things sound the way they want them to rather than the way they are.

Now to do the same on a larger more realistic scale, that is harder. But it also can be done with either tubes or SS or a combo of the two, again as long as one has the know how needed to achieve it with a modest budget. The biggest challenge there is that the trend is for speakers to keep getting smaller and more expensive which makes it harder to achieve realistic sound levels with low distortion especially in larger rooms. Use of powered subwoofers can help more than ever there though.

minorl, Couldn't agree with you more. I believe HP said, If you haven't heard it; You don't have a valid opinion.  Go out and try equipment at your price point, both tube and solid state. I stayed locked into (1) system for years, and enjoyed it. Now I am moving forward and enjoying even more! Support brick/mortar dealers. Pay a bit of $ to have it shipped,if you can't make the trip. TRUST YOUR EARS! Only you can say what sounds great to you! You need to try and listen!

no the best tube sound when you actually put your speakers inside tube. to make it happen you definitely need to roll either one tube for both speakers or per each speaker.

@mapman

I agree completely with your post with one exception, "expense". Personally, I believe it is expensive to make great sound at home these days

While I’m sure you would agree that whether or not something is expensive can be subjective, I think its fair to assume that everyone’s system is in one way or another dictated by the cost of their components. In my particular case all of my components were chosen wisely from the perspective of value (i.e. best sound for the money). If money were no object I would surely have a different setup, or an additional setup for that matter! :)

But, lets be truthful and real hear. Tube is better than solid state? I don't think so. Nor do I believe that Solid state is better than tube.

What tubes do better than transistors is not make higher ordered harmonic distortions to which the ear is very sensitive and also perceives as irritating.

That's not a matter of opinion its a simple fact and not a matter of debate.

If you don't believe me ask Nelson Pass or John Curl, two of the best solid state designers in the world.

All designers worth their salt realize they won't get rid of distortion. The question then  becomes how to design the amplifier to make the least amount of the most irritating types of distortion. If you read their materials you will find that both of the above designers are very aware of this fact and it is their pragmatic nature that allows them to design some of the best solid state amps made.

Now what solid state does better than tubes is they can drive a wider range of loudspeakers while maintaining flat frequency response (although the latter is often a function of how much negative feedback the amplifier employs).

This is why I was careful to make my points in my prior posts the way I did. I did not say that 'tubes are better'- end of discussion. I pointed out what their strengths are in the context of this thread.  It is true that not everyone will like the facts as stated, but just because we don't like a fact does not change its reality.