TUBE AMP LOVERS - What SS amp makes you smile???

I was asked a question on one of my comments that's all. I gave an answer.
As an aside, I do not buy into the notion of "hijacking" here. Right and left turns are common and just fine with me. No crime here, just normal and acceptable meandering in these threads. All good.

To help get us back on track I will post on this wire in a new thread. I am finding the Lector VM200 hybrid amp to be very tube like. I know it has two signal tubes, but it does sound like a full-on tube output amp.

We all learned about the wire here;

http://jeffsplace.me/wordpress/?p=7469

Buy from EBay seller Tajacobs. He is trusted and good. Others may sell
fakes.

Here is a current EBay listing from him. I think it is a husband/wife team as
Teresa is the "T". I think one of them worked for WE for many years.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/per-ft-Western-Electric-AIW-16g-cloth-
STRANDED-RED-with-white-writng-/351450979396?
pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51d41c5c44

He also sells black cloth covered wire which is the same wire. Do not
terminate and just use the bare wire for best sound. I used two runs per
pole for best sound. One run is very good, but two gives more body and
bass and is perfect! I used a slight twist every 2 or so inches.

The Belden 8402 IC cable referred to in the blog is also a must Jet.
Combine the two for sonic magic. The tandem is sublime and easily bested
any high dollar wire I have owned.

Here is where to purchase the Belden cable. They will make a set to the
length you want and build them the exact way the famous amp builder from
Japan builds them as referred to in Jeff Day's blog. They take about 30
hours to break in and are natural and beautiful sounding. I know this wire is
all stranded and tinned, I usually run from both these attributes in wire. I
cannot explain it, but this wire destroyed my past notions and experiences
with stranded and tinned wire.

Mine are built with the shield connected on both ends as are Jeff Day's.
The result will make you smile big. They start off just a tad bright, but
quickly sound so natural and beautiful with the WE speaker wire.

http://btpa.com/IC8402-XX.html

One last point on the WE wire. Don't buy other WE wire thinking a thicker
gauge, solid core, or whatever version of WE you think may be better. The
16ga stranded is the wire that has been confirmed as special. Folks seem
to want to stray from proven performance and that is fine once you have
experienced the 16ga wire. I had to fight the impulse to use some other WE
14ga etc....

I had $2000 speaker cables that I loved and were and are special
sounding. It took me awhile to find them and they are very highly reviewed.
The WE wire easily bested them at $1.49 foot. Same with the ICs.

Jeff Day used the solid core silver in silk Sablon wire and now uses the
WE. My audio buddies have also sold off expensive cables for WE. I cannot
recall an audio experience as surprising as these two wires/cables. I am
still shaking my head wondering how the heck......

The thing is both of these wires are no longer made. Once these sellers are
out that is it! The WE wire is from the 70s and 80s and I am not sure about
the Belden.

The burn in time is not long, but they do need 25-30 hours to sound their
best. I also find when used together you get the magic! The sum of the two
is greater than the individual wire sonically.

I found the closest I could get was with a hybrid amp. Yes, it has tubes, but just two long lasting signal tubes. I use a Lector VM200 hybrid that comes close to my 845 amp, but just not quite as special:)

Well here are some things to ponder on this subject. Not all tube amps
sound like, well tube amps. What does a tube amp sound like? PP amp?
SET amp? DHT amp? parallel SET amp? No Negative feedback? Lots of
NF? Who designed it? What type of tubes does it use? Solid state or tube
rectified? Is it tube regulated? OTL amp? SS voltage regulated?

I think you get the point. They will all sound very different. SS amps also
come in near countless design forms. They all sound very different from
each other.

Also, we have to consider the fact that an amp makes no sound or music
on its own. To make music it must be part of a complete system. The amp
to speaker synergy plays a huge role. Preamp to amp synergy is also
important. The near countless combinations of these system pieces all
create differing sound. Certainly some complete system combinations
sound radically different then the very same amp would sound in another
system with a different set of accompanying components.

Oh my, I haven't even begun to unpack all the factors influencing the net
sound of a system and wether it sounds tube like or SS like........if one
thinks there is even such a thing. I am not sure there is based on my
experience with a host of amps over the years. I have certainly owned SS
amps and hybrid amps that sound very similar to some PP tube amps I
have owned. At least in the context of a static set of associated system
gear.

One final point. I recently became aware of wire that has incredibly
beautiful tone and a stunning 3D reach out and touch the performance
papability to it. I now use it as my speaker cable, internal speaker wire,
crossover wire and internal amp wire. To many on this thread that feel they
know and love the tube sound, this wire will make you smile big. Very big.
I am using it with a DHT 845 tube amp as well as a Lector Hybrid amp. I
can confidently tell you with the Lector amp in the system I am getting the
type of performance most would attribute to a full-on complete tube system.
However, the whole system only has two small signal tubes located in the
hybrid amp!

My point, wire also makes a difference in delivering the resulting sound and
wether it leans to a tube amp or SS sound for those who believe in such a
thing. The wire is Western Electric 16 gauge NOS stranded and tinned.
Only $1.49 a foot and so very special. Yeah, this wire has that DHT tube
sound. In my audio circles this wire is completely changing the way Aphiles
look at high end cabling. All have sold their high dollar wire and improved
their system's sound with this wire. Just a little tip to those open minded
enough to go there!

I guess you lost me. The point of my post was " things to ponder" as related to the poster's question. I mentioned the wire in the context of how it can make one smile with its tube like sound. How it, wire, plays a role in the resulting sound of an amp and a system. Wire can certainly help an SS amp sound more tube like. I suggest this wire can help a good SS amp sound as such. It is on point and not unrelated in the least.

Perhaps you think I gave to much detail on this original post and that I can understand.