I started down the tube rabbit hole when someone sent me a 10wpc tube amp out of an old console that needed work about 11 years ago. Once I finished restoring it and making it work as a stand one amp I was hooked. I was surprised at how good this fairly simple little amp sounded. It didn't sound "tuby", or rolled off. It just sounded really good. I could listen to that amp all day. But why?
I can't say the same thing about some of my SS gear at the time, and I had some TOTL restored vintage SS gear too. I think one of the reasons tube amps sound better is harmonic distortion. Some harmonics are very pleasing to the ear and brain. Like the distortions that tube amps produce. Tubes produce different harmonic distortions than SS. Its the difference between even and odd order distortions. Some like the sound of 1st and 3rd order, some prefer 2nd and 4th.
I found I preferred tubes, others may not. A well designed tube amp or preamp shouldn't sound "tuby", meaning top or bottom end rolled off or have a fat midrange bloom. If so, something is wrong with the amp or its poorly designed.
Some of the top brands of the day waited to switch to transistors until the technology got better and the transistors had better specs. They used the tube gear they had been producing as a guide to how the SS gear should sound.
Marantz and McIntosh are two of those companies. That rusty old 10wpc tube amp changed everything for me when it comes to listening to music. If you decide to jump down the tube rabbit hole it can be a fun ride down and you can learn a lot on the way.
and surrender 