Audiophiles seemingly pay alot of attention to this questions. I don't think most music lovers really care. Tim daParivinci (sp?), an acknowledged giant in equipment design (EAR, Luxman, Musical Fidelity, etc.) was once quoted in Audio magazine that tubes vs. solid state was unimportant and that he could make either sound just like the other.
If you like tubes, then like tubes. The same for solid state. Just don't pretend that one is "better" than the other.