adg101, I’ll throw my VAC amp up against much more expensive SS amps any day. You don’t have to sell me on tube gear, I’m using tube phono, tube preamp and tube amplifier. So yes, I love tubes.
That said, there are some decent SS amps out there, and even some decent SS preamps. Not all tube products are better than all SS products.
You are right, that we all have our own opinions, and in the end, the only opinion that counts is the one of the person spending the money.
Unless you have ever heard a Klyne preamp or phono stage, I would not dismiss them so quickly. That would be as big of a mistake as dismissing a Pass amplifier because it doesn’t have tubes, IMHO.
@jafant , you can search Klyne. Very small, steady manufacturer, whose owners are incredibly loyal, and for good reason. I know more than a few tubeophiles who have converted happily to Klyne preamps.
Yes, preamps is all Stan Klyne makes, and he’s been at it for over 35 years. No digital, no amplifiers, only line preamps and phono preamps. His 7PX5.0 phono stage was the best phono that I have owned, bar none, and I’ve owned $10K tube phono stages.