It’s hard to win an argument with a spec sheet.
Digital trounces vinyl. Lower noise, wider dynamic range, flatter frequency response. In theory—and in measurement—digital wins every time. And yet, vinyl refuses to die. In fact, it’s thriving. Why?
Because specs don’t tell the whole story.
The same goes for tubes. Solid-state amplifiers measure better in almost every category. Lower distortion, greater efficiency, better damping factor, wider bandwidth. On paper, tubes are obsolete—little glowing heaters that belong in a museum next to phonograph horns and wax cylinders.
And yet... here we are.
I still love tubes. A lot of us do. Just like I still love spinning a record, even though I have access to high-res digital with its better specs. The thing is, music isn’t just about numbers. It’s about experience. And tubes—like vinyl—offer a particular flavor of experience that’s hard to replicate with precision engineering alone.
It’s like trying to prove vanilla is better than chocolate. You can’t. Because it isn't (hint: chocolate simply is better and I am always right. Just ask my wife Terri)
So yes, solid-state wins the shootout on paper, just like digital wins over vinyl.
But the music’s not on the paper.
It’s in the listening.
Or in the tasting.
It's good to always be right. :)
