The ups and downs of tube vs. SS...

Tubes all the way!Todays tube amps especially have done away with sloppy bass and have staging and imaging that I've never heard in a SS system...

I have owned Denon, then Classe, then Bryston solid state. Not the pinnacle of solid state for sure but then I heard an AR classic 30 and everything changed. Not gone back to solid state. Music has more dimension and tone. Currently own Quicksilver, Allnic and Unison tubed. Recently tried some class D kit and detail , speed, extremely low noise floor but was still missing a hard to describe tonal beauty. ( maybe coloration) Just sounds more musical 

I recently switch from SS to tube amp. The tube amp sound less fatigue than SS and the impulse/dynamic is simply great. The only thing is that in the low end the energy is that strong as a SS. I wondering if a half-active loudspeaker (bass with SS) and the middle and trebles with my tube amp would be the best of both worlds. Does ATC have such kind of loudspeakers?

Too much generalization. There are some good, great, ordinary Tube components. There are some good, great, ordinary Solid State components.

There is also the issue of compatability. Some Tube Amps suit certain Speakers, some Solid State Power Amps suit certain Speakers. For example, difficult loads, like big Apogees,would generally be better suited and have more options in solid state Power Amps.

It would be foolish to discount either topology. All my Pre-Amps until recently incorporate Tubes. I hadn't owned a Solid State Pre. for 16 or so years and had written off S/S for Pre's as all my Tube Pre's thrashed my previous Pre. an ME25. About 3 months ago I acquired a Solid State Pre. a Vincent SA-94. OMG, it has blown me away and beaten out some good Tube Pre's. when matched well. Shows how wrong to write off either topology. However it does require careful matching.

However prefer Tubes so far for my Phono stages, and yet to hear similarly priced S/S CD Players get close to my Tube CD Players. For Power Amps it's my big Solid State Mono Blocks for driving my Revel Ultima Studios, but hybrid's for driving my active bass Speakers.

@schubert Have you heard the Vincent hybrid SP-T700 Mono Blocks? Have the airy top end and warmth of tubes with a nice punchy Solid State bottom end. Obviously not the slam of higher powered S/S Mono's.