This isn't so much a guide as it an impression of and response to a previous guide titled "Which HiFI Tube" Amplifier Should I Buy submitted on 09/13/08 by doctorwho1962.  Sorry for the late reaction time but I only read it today.

Now, we all know that the quality of sound reproduction is a pretty subjective issue.  We all perceive sound somewhat differently and have possibly acquired certain preferences along the way. However, design and build quality increasingly become more objective and especially in respect to build quality.  That has prompted my reaction here to the content of the subject line.

I have been what you may call an audiophile of sorts for at least 30 years, more like 40 if I have to admit it.  Over the past few years I've seen kqvkq9's equipment up for sale several times.  While his equipment generally looks good if you have a penchant for glued on mirrors and may even sound good if you're a big fan of multi-odrder distortion, I have some serious issues with his construction habits. First, he never installs power switches.  Every electronics device that I own has a power switch if nothing else for safety reasons.  Second, he always glues filter capacitors down to the chassis and never clamps them down.  It's fine to clamp and glue but not to just glue them.  I have owned many tube amplifiers and none of them had parts glued inside and,again, they all had power switches.  Recently, the "designer" in question made some amplifiers out of cake tins that were teflon coated.  Unfortunately, he glued capacitors to the teflon surface.  I can't begin to express how unacceptable that was.  A couple of years ago someone left him feedback explaining his amplifier was a fire hazard.  I can see why and what I see here are carelessly designed units possibly unfit to use in a garage at a safe distance.

All that said, this kqvkq9's feedback is indeed at  100%.  That score is likely born of artificial "man of the world" wool hat stories that always preceed his discription rather than the evidence glued to the bottom of his amps.  I don't care if he states this this practice is safe. It's not and any designer worth his salt knows that. The laws of physics don't change for anyone.  Therefore, there are no excuses for willful negligence and, if anything,  these habits deserve exposure rather than praise. Facts are facts and ANYBODY who knowingly builds potentially dangerous equipment utilizing high voltages ought to be called into question.

Of course, I 'd be a fool if I didn't anticipate at least one or two defensive gut-reaction response to what I've said here.  But that changes nothing in the face of hard evidence.  If you have an acquired taste for the sort of sound that eminates from these risky projects, so be it.  But keep in mind that an "acquired taste" is signature sound and stands in apposition to coloration and in opposition to high fidelity.  That stands regardless of how many urban myths about tube sound anyone decides to support.  Possibly, there is difference between being an audio enthusiast and an high fidelity enthusiast.  Only the latter requires accuracy.