Ridiculous, kids these days actually like the sound of the artifacts introduced by the reproduction technology?
Everyone knows the best way to hear music is through the soft clipping of a tube amplifier.
Everyone knows the best way to hear music is through the soft clipping of a tube amplifier.
They cost $2000-$3000
I've got a http://www.mcintoshlabs.com/ tube/valve amplifier. I rip my CD's to FLAC, stream via a squeezebox, into a monitor-grade DAC-1 (i.e. neutral sound) into the amp. So it's bit-perfect digital, which is then given character by the amplifier.
Mcintosh were once the king of tube amplifiers. They moved away to solid state back in the late 70's / early 80's. Then, as part of an anniversary, they decided to revamp some old tube designs. To their surprise, they liked the sound, do they bought some of the designs back.
I remember reading they were stunned at the quality of the actual tubes - obviously back then they were using tubes that were made using 30+ year old manufacturing techniques. In the meantime, the Soviets had actually put a lot of work and research into tubes (as they were late to the silicon game)... Anyway - Upshot is that you can get tubes nowadays that are extremely high quality and reliable - perhaps moreso than in their peak.
I've also noticed there are a lot of tube iPod docks now as well: http://www.google.com/search?q=tube+ipod+dock&ie=utf-8&#... .. They are reasonably cheap - As for the quality, I can't imagine, but they are around.
Edit: The place that tubes (KT88's and the like) are also still found is in guitar amplifiers - for the same soft clipping reasons mentioned above.