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It's not the power, it's the sound, the warm, sweet sound, the simple design of the sound path, and the low number of components in it.
It was speaker technology last week, this week we go after amplifiers. What is your favorite amplifier technology and why?
For driving full-range dynamic speakers, the best amps I've heard have generally been MOSFET or bipolar transistor. I've also heard several excellent hybrid amps. Some of the best bipolar amps I've heard have quasi-complementary (all-NPN) output stages instead of the more common complementary NPN/PNP outputs.
My vote is for solid-state amplifiers. As much as I might be seduced by tube sound, the heat and expense is just too much. We are talking about at least $100/year for tube replacement, and heating up my listening room in the summer, when I am trying to avoid AC, is also counterproductive. In an ideal world, I would have a second system, where I could have a small(er) tube amp, which I could use for music appropriate for that kind of system.
I voted for tubes, but this is a difficult question to answer since I have liked a number of SS amps over the years and currently own one. Yes. I voted for tubes, but I no longer own a valve amp. Formerly owned several C-J amps and preamps. Will buy another tube set-up one day if I live long enough. I also greatly enjoyed the Precision Fidelity hybrid from the mid-'80s! Was it the M-8?
I went through 8 SS amps from highly regarded manufacturers before I eventually tried a hybrid & liked it so much that it finally inspired me to take the plunge and I went all-valve. I will never go back. The only SS brand I've owned that came close was Electrocompaniet.