How big of a difference do amps make?

I was an amplifier nihilist until I went from SS to tubes after I bought my Zu Definitions. Then I went from an EAR 859 to a Yamamoto A-08 to a Deja Vu Audio 2a3 to an Ancient Audio 300b SET amp. Finally, I went from Shuguang Black Treasures to Sophia Royal Princes to Takatsuki 300b. Each change made a difference - some more than others, of course.

"The folks who love tube amps just like the colorations..
There i said it."

Feeling brave are we??

Elizabeth I would venture that you never heard a great tube amp or maybe you have never owned one, just a guess. So far as colorations with a tube amp wouldn't you also acknowledge that tube pre-amps also can add their own flavor? It seems your fears may lie with thermionic meltdown maybe? I'm sure a concern with some designs but certainly all of them. I've owned 5 tube amplifiers over the years and never have had a major issue with any of them, biasing and replacing tubes is all.

Amp speaker interface is crucial. Source component and recording is where it logically starts and will determine the potential of everything downstream at least in my experience but amps can make a significant difference in the system whether tube or ss.

Rok2id, I wish things were as simple as you seem to wish or believe them to be, thanks for keeping it real :)

In the last 20 years, only encounter with "fireworks" was with a SS amplifier. Never with a tube amplifier.