We shall only allow tubes to be used in the audio path
We shall optimise the performance of each tube
We shall aim for simplicity in circuitry and controls
We shall use transformers for all inputs and outputs
We shall design everything to last!
"Simply put, tubes sound pleasant to the ear. They treat signals with respect. But perhaps more profoundly they place serious constraints on how much circuitry you can build into a unit. With solid-state design, an engineer is free to ad circuitry with very little penalty, which can start you down the road of "fixing" percieved faults in the design with even more circuitry. Unfortunately, the end result is usualy something that sounds worse than if the original circuit had been improved from the start. As a result, I have to design very simple circuits. There's no "patch" I can use to fix a circuit's faults. It has to stand by itself."