Class "A" solid state vs. Tube amp.?


I would like to hear opinions, for, i am listening mostly classical and the acoustic instruments! I never heard anybody more happier, than the Pass owners? I am tempted!
chedo27dc1
Dekay: the A3CR is MF's top of the line amp. It feels like it weighs 40 lbs., and 35 of them are the transformers. It has consistently gotten excellent reviews. Several of the reviews have hinted at the fact that it's secret is probably the choke regulation, which, unfortunately, very few other amps do. Some others with huge transformers might be able to match its sound, but I wouldn't know...it was good for those days over the summer when my air conditioner was broken, and it was too hot to run a tube amp.
For the last 10 years I was a diehard tubeman. Having Cary, ARC,and Wolcott. I just tried a SS Aloia amp and got the best control and sound. It made me a believer in solid-state. Pass amps are very good but I think you will be surprised if listen to an Aloia amp. Must have the INDUCTIVE power supply
I'm not a tube expert, but have tried several, including the VT100 mkII and McIntosh mono blocks. I have also tried many SS amps, including Levinson and Krell. My current favorite is the Pass Labs Aleph 4 (pure class A). For some music some tube amps sound better, but overall for any music, I found the class A Pass amp to produce the most natural sound from very low smooth clean bass to beautiful highs.
The only bit I would like to add to this lively debate is to relate a small story. I will never forget first hearing my reviewer friend's system circa 1980. It consisted of Infinity IRS, ARC SP-10, Conrad Johnson Premier One, Goldmund Reference, and Koetsu whatever. It was the first time I had heard a high end tube amplifier. Despite Mr Coherent's assertion, good tube amps do not compress dynamics or lose control in the face of complex passages. If anything, their clipping characteristics are far more forgiving than SS units. That system possessed the most incredible ease and clarity. Large scale works like Orff's Carmina Burana would knock you down with dynamics. Many years later, hundreds of amps have gone through his system, but he still prefers the naturalness of the best tube amplifiers. Either the big ARC Reference units or one of the Jadis amps. Unlike Harley enthusiasts, I do not prefer them out of some nostalgic interest in the past. I really find SS units more practical. You leave them on all the time and don't have to worry about warm up delays, re-tubing, and heat generation. Listen carefully in your own system and make the judgement. Audio Research, Conrad-Johson, Atmasphere, Cary, Jadis, VTL, Lamm, and many others do not exist to satisfy a lunatic fringe audience.