Solid State for Rock and Tubes for Jazz, Yes or No

Assuming that the amp-speaker combination is basically compatible, one can get better dynamics and "slam" from tube amps than solid state. Try an OTL amp, you will be shocked at how much more lively such amps will sound than a solid state amp at the same average volume level. Solid state amps can provide a lot of power and can be made to play at loud levels, but, most sound dynamically flat at lower volume levels compared to a good tube amp, particularly OTL and SET amps (assuming the speakers are efficient enough for the very low powered SET amp).

While not reaching deep, and often not being able to do the room shaking thing, I like the bass from SET amps--it is tunefull, varies with the qualities of the particular music (does not sound generic or the same all the time), and natural. The bass on solid state amps can also sound very good. I know it is a generalization, but, I often have more issues with tube pushpull amp bass--everything seems to sound the same--punchy, but, sort of uniformly so.

I do like SET amps, and I have compatible speakers and can therefore largely sidestep their biggest tradeoff (lack of power), but that does not mean that I don't appreciate other kinds of amps equally.

The amp that is currently in my system, which I like very much, is a 5 watt pushpull amp. It is a terrific amp for my system. Is it great because of, or in spite of, it being a pushpull amp? I have no idea. It is different in so many other respects from my other favorite amp (parallel single-ended 2a3 amp). In addition to being pushpull, it uses a different combination of tubes (348 and 349), it has transformer inputs (matches my linestage's transformer outputs), etc. It does have a somewhat generic sounding bass response--not as tuneful, and varied as the bass from my SET amp and not as open on top--but it is punchy and very sweet sounding in the midrange. Every choice has some tradeoff.

On top of solid state vs. tube; pushpull vs. OTL vs. SET, there are almost infinite variables of tube choice, parts choice, specific design, implementation, etc. This is both part of the fun, or frustration, depending on how you look at things. If one insists on identifying "the best" in even one category, that would be largely delusional. I just look for what sounds good to me, if there is something out there that I missed, perhaps I will find it later; that is part of the fun.

Both my SET and my pushpull amps can be considered marginal, in terms of power, for my speakers. My SET amp is rated at something like 6.5 watts and the pushpull is 5 watts. I don't have any problems playing rock at fairly high volume.

Where some power issues do show up is with large-scale choral music. I do notice some compression and mild clipping if I try to play something like Rachmaninov's "Vespers" at somewhat high volume.