Yes of course tubes are psychological. Electrical engineers designed tubes to emulate the warm glow of embers burning low in the campfire. This is why they use plates heated to a red-orange glow.
The little tubes don't have quite the same effect, which is why they are sometimes mounted inside. Shouldn't be, the effect is much less charming, but most of the ones stuck inside you're not missing much anyway. The bigger more beautiful tubes however are always mounted on top, displayed proudly like the torch carried by the runner to light the Olympic flame.
Nothing sets a campfire off like the night. So of course all the best tubes are mounted in front of big black transformers. This is all for dramatic effect of course. Imagine if they put the transformers in front of the tubes! Also notice the little tubes that don't put out as much warm glow are mounted in between the big orange ones? Their glassy bottles create reflections that enhance the effect.
Some like the effect so much they arrange them around the room, sometimes putting one by each speaker. This is nice I guess but I was always a one campfire kind of explorer. To each his own I guess. Long as we keep the fire burning.
