What are your thoughts on hybrid amplifiers?

Depends on the design. I own the Counterpoint SA-220 modified and have heard the Butler hybrid amp. Both amps are warmer sounding then SS amps that I have heard but were not as warm and 3D as some tube amps I have heard - kind of right between SS and all tubes. You need to try out amps that mate well with your speakers to tell what you prefer in your own system as everyone has different musical tastes.

Happy Listening.

I own both tube and hybrid amps. I like both a lot and feel that solid state amps have to have tubes somewhere in the chain. Hybrids vary a lot between models. My hybrid Koras sound like solid state in the sense that they are very accurate, precise, fast, and have tight bass. My tube amp is not like that unless it is running efficient speakers (like the top half of my JM Labs). However the advantage of a hybrid over a typical SS amp is the coherence and emotion. Many of the SS amps I've had didn't pull off the emotional aspect as well. But it all depends.

A hybrid amp is a very good idea if you enjoy tube sound, but have speakers that are not tube friendly. It falls very much in line with folks that use a vacuum tube pre amp and solid-state power amp.

If you do have tube friendly speakers and you enjoy tubes, then it would not be a worthwhile switch.

Regards
Paul

I suppose it depends on the choice but I have heard the same speakers with an all SS setup , tubed pre and SS amp , a hybrid int. and an all tube integrated . Mine and my wifes listening pleasure increased with the increase in tubes . It turned out to be good bang for the buck as the SS equipment was a few muiltiples of the tubed equipment .
For us less is more .

A hybrid amp with a tube front end and solid state output stage is a good idea if you want to get some tube sound somewhere in your system but don't want to mess with the hassle of a tubed output stage. Theoretically, using tubes for voltage gain on the input stage(s) and semiconductors for current gain on the output stage, is the best application for both, although it doesn't always result in the best sound. As another poster above put it, if your speakers are not too difficult a load, you will most likely keep some aspects of the tube sound (warmth, fullness, dimensionality of the soundstage and instruments, liquidity) and some of solid-state sound (quickness, detail, bandwidth, bass impact). I myself have a tubed phono stage and preamp with a SS power amp, and I seem to get some of both. Although these days the line between tubed and solid-state equipment is becoming more blurred. I had Conrad-Johnson and Audio Research tube gear using 6H30 input and driver tubes with advanced output transformers that resulted in a more neutral sound, which to my ears is preferable to the traditional slow and warm tube sound and bright and flat solid-state sound once the norm.