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The trick to buying audio is to get whatever sounds best to you. Go listen to the tube amps, then listen to the solid state amps. Use the same CD on both. Make sure it's one you're familiar with. Make sure they're driving the same speakers. If the tube amp sounds so much better that it's worth the extra expense TO YOU, then buy it. Don't let some audio snob tell you you HAVE to buy it because it's what all the cool geeks are buying this year.
IMHO tubes sound a little better than solid state, but they don't sound so much better that I can justify spending hundreds and even thousands of dollars extra for them. I'd rather put those dollars into buying music - after all, if you sink 80 grand into a stereo (and when you get into high-end tube amp territory, it's pretty easy to do that) but can't afford any albums (note I did not say CD's or records, to avoid opening THAT can of worms) to play on it, then there's not much point in having bought it.
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