I have not listened to a tube amp. I would think the highs and the details would not be as pronounced as a good digital amp. There must be a reason why audio switched from tube to digital. Is it the nostalgia and the looks of glowing tubes. Is it the opportunity to invest in replacement tubes? This might sound stupid. Since tubeamps are analog I am guessing there would not be need for a DAC. I have never had this explained to me.
I remember playing a guitar with both a tube amp and a digital amp and I thought the tube amp sounded better. I also believe a small tube amp put out more volume than a much larger digital amp. However, that was many years ago. I wonder if there is a book I could read that would explain this. Perhaps, this is my new homework. There is so much to learn. The biggest thing I haven’t learned so far is how to get the boss to allow me to spend more money. She will say out of 1,300 homes in our community there might only be two homes with a stereo sound system. What still amazes me is how 98% watch TV by using their TV speakers. I think sound is 80% or more of the movie experience.