Only a tube amp will give you that great "crunch" that we all know and love from vintage rock because in that day and age tube amps were all that were around. The problem with tube amps (aside from being expensive) is that the way that tube distortion works is you are overloading the tube and causing the signal to distort. Therefore it must be turned up loud unless you have a special pedal. Also tubes must be replaced regularly. Solid state amps may not give you the authentic distortion that tube amps give you they get pretty close. They are also much less expensive and do not need to be turned up as loud. also there are no tubes to replace. Many entusiasts will swear by tube, its all a matter of preference i suggest that you try before you buy.

From a engineering point of view ,a tube amplifier is a piece of junk. a solid- state amplifier reproduces the input signal with much less noise, at lower distortion, and wider bandwidth. However, it appears that many people like about 6-15 percent distortion in their music. This may be important. In the days of the tube radio , we got used to the distortion. People say the solid state amplifier sounds "tinny" If you sometimes feel confused by the information of audio- specialists give out... join the club. They often say things that have absolutely no foundation in engineering (example ..huge speaker cables...hoax). They often say "I can hear the difference" This is OLD technology.... it shouldnt cost this much. Tube manufactures claim advanced design .If it were advanced it would not have 6-15 per cent distortion. But Hey, what do I know

A properly-designed solid state amplifier will sound IDENTICAL to any other properly-designed solid state amplifier in a double-blind litening test with volume levels of "A" and "B" amplifiers set the same and within the limits of the speakers. Tube amplifiers inject distortion into the signal, a properly-designed solid-state amplifier will not. Further, a engineer can design a solid-state amplifier to sound like your favorite tube amp. Someone may dig me for saying this, but the ONLY reason for choosing a tube amp is for aesthetic reasons, not audio reasons.

It depends very much on your personal tastes in audio reproduction. I would recommend listening to different products and deciding what you like to listen to. Different amplifiers and amplifier technologies do sound different, because of the wide range of components, designs, and parts quality. Chain stores are not the place to do this type of listening. There is no such thing as a "properly designed" amplifier, since there are hundreds of designs on the market that all work with varying degrees of success. Some of these can be very good and reproduce music faithfully. Most are fairly pedestrian and reproduce sound very well. A small number are neither. Classic double-blind A/B testing has its uses, but does not reveal everything about the performance of any audio component. A/B testing is very good at revealing strong to moderate differences between components. It is not well-suited to evaluating slight differences between components or a person's long-term listening response (e.g., several hours listening to a particular component without a break). Long-term listening can significantly alter a person's initial response to an audio component. A/B testing has been frequently misrepresented in the audio press by journalists concluding, for example, that all amplifiers sound the same because some subjects had difficulty differentiating between products during controlled psychoacoustic tests. Having trouble differentiating is *not* the same as saying everything sounds the same. A good design can be rendered using either tubes or solid-state devices. Hybrid amplifiers are also manufactured, most often with tube input buffers and solid-state output devices. Tubes and solid-state devices do not operate in the same fashion and each has performance-related advantages and disadvantages. There can be audible differences between designs, audible mainly when an amplifier is operating near the edge of its performance envelope. There are audible differences between ampliifers built using the same technology, too. Differences between and among solid-state and tube amplifiers can be caused by many factors, including: - The behaviour of the amplifier when operated at and beyond its maximum output power. This will occur, even while listening at modest volume levels. - The level and type of distortions generated at different power levels or at different frequencies below the maximum rated output. - The nature of the distortions generated by the amplifier (e.g., harmonic, intermodulation, transient harmonic, transient intermodulation, etc.). - The frequency content of the distortion generated by the amplifier. Tubes and solid-state devices can perform quite differently in this regard. - The response of the amplifier to signal transients (e.g., rapid changes in signal amplitude). - Phase shifts caused by passive components, both within and external to the negative feedback loop(s). - The amount of negative feedback, if any, used in the amplifier. Amplifiers with high levels of negative feedback often behave poorly in audio applications. - Power supply capacity and the speed with which it can supply current to the output devices and recover from high-demand transients. Surprisingly enough, the ear can tolerate what seem to be very high levels of harmonic distortion. The ear is quite forgiving of harmonic distortion up to 1%, depending on its frequency content. With modern amplifiers, the small amounts of total harmonic distortion (THD) have little bearing amplifier quality. There are other types of distortion that are more objectionable, in particular the transient distortions that are seldom quantified by manufacturers. There is also the frequency distribution of the distortion to be considered, e.g., the relative levels of harmonics at different frequencies. Many amplifier designs exist that perform well in standard tests, but are not very good reproducers of music. The (somewhat) standardized tests currently in use certainly do not capture and quantify all the characteristics of audio components. In general, solid-state amps have a better damping factor and, therefore, the potential to better manage low-frequency reproduction. This is one of the most significant distinctions between the two technologies. The output transformers required in most tube amplifiers can impose such limitations. Perhaps most importantly, the design of the amplifier and the quality or choice of components used in its execution have an overwhelming effect on music reproduction and your enjoyment of it. Cheap amps tend to sound the same, good-quality amplifiers reproduce music well. This can be a difficult concept to grasp. The near total absence of artificial artifacts in the output of some amplifiers can make them sound distinctive. All amplifiers add artifacts, but some add much fewer than most - an absence, rather than a presence. If an audio component fails to convey a sense of the ambience present during the recording, it isn't doing its job very well. Tubes can be configured for either single-ended or push-pull operation. Single-ended amplifiers are low output power and often have limited deep bass response. They can, however, sound exceptionally good in the low-mid to high frequency range. Push-pull designs are used far more frequently. Different power tubes have different behaviour (e.g., can sound different), not unlike solid-state output devices. Solid state amps generally use push-pull topology, although a handful of designs do not. The choice of output toplogy (e.g., A, AB, A/AB, B, D, etc.) has an impact on the sound or, rather, the potential to produce certain types of sound. The output devices used (e.g., transistor or MOSFET) also affect the sound. As for me, I own both solid state and tube equipment. I tend to prefer the characteristics of tube hardware, except for the ability of solid state to get a grip on low frequencies. As I said, however, audio characteristics depend heavily on the design topology. Hence one has tube amps that are not warm and fuzzy and solid state amps that are not lean and thin sounding (these being typical perceptions). Of course, this variety is what makes the world go round. Good sound is worth pursuing if you like to listen to music, as opposed to having a background sound. Your toes should tap of their own accord. And don't forget the source, the most critical component in the audio reproduction chain.

As a machine (an electronic device) a tube amp is a piece of junk, and a solid-state is a good running machine. However, for a musician, a tube amp is the only way to recieve a fat, vitage sound, and smooth, creamy, mouth-watering overdrive. It is nearly impossible to fid this with a solid-state.