Tubes... what do they do?...

It above referanced link is an older one but still just about the best introduction. It is a bit funny, the writer spends so much time talking about how out-dated tubes are and then, at the very end, he retreats...just a bit.

Thanks....

"Tubes, what do they do?"

Warm your room and your soul! :-)

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

They replaced transistors.

I would say it is a matter of taste what different types of amplification moves you. I would say tubes lends a small degree of realism to the reproduced music. You can mention that you have a tube stereo to average individuals and you will be looked as an excrentic, until you play some music.