solid state vs. tubes. Pros and Cons

[E-Stat]

That example is what I think E-Stat meant when he said "enjoy the numbers".

Not exactly. I just think that the metrics do not a complete picture paint. Remember those who thought the first gen CD players were good? The engineers either didn't know what they didn't know or vastly underestimated the damage wrought by jitter and the analog brick wall filters..

Quite honestly, that system was one of the very few I've ever heard (including an old GE console stereo playing scratched up 78's) that would cause me NOT to want to listen to music.

There is a debate among some who think that the very best systems will always sound worse with poor recordings than lesser systems since they reveal all the sins. I don't believe that. True, a recording may be flat and non-dimensional, bright, thin, etc., but unless the media was worn, I just hear what's there. Untamed RF, on the other hand, can instill a hard, edgy character to some systems in my experience.

rw