With tubes, the old adage "be careful what you wish for" applies. I have just recently "scaled" away from an all tube 2 channel system which included a Cal Audio tube DAC, Anthem Pre 2Lse pre-amp and Quicksilver tubed mono amps.
The first tube piece I bought was an Anthem tubed Pre-amp(replaced a B&K PT3). This was a wonderful pre and very versatile but the difference between SS was as you say "subtle" at best and (to my suprise) really didn't sound very "tubey".
With each tubed component that I added to the system, I noticed what I percieved to be a very subtle decline in bass quality but not so much so that I was dissapointed. Up until this point, I didn't feel like there were any great overwhelming differences one way or the other, only very subtle differences.
When I added the tube amps is when I knew I had gone too far. The mid to high range of frequencies sounded very good and was very easy to listen to but the music now sounded too "sweet/polite" for my taste and seemed to lack some of the realistic characteristics that come from a live performance. Music such as blues, rock and jazz sounded "polite" even if it wasn't meant to be by the artist and sound engineers. With the addition of the tube amps, bass took a nose dive becoming loose and flabby and very unrealistic sounding. I must say that with the tube system I never got "listener fatigue" even from bright recordings.
I consider my experience with tube components to be a positive one because:
1. It was just damn fun (the hobby thing)
2. It helped me realize my preference for:
A.The transparency of solid state components.
B. The grip/control they maintain on bass.
C. The way they can more convincingly convey (IMO) a wider array of characteristics (raw, gritty, subtle etc.) which are often found in live music.
I have no regrets with my tube experience. I bought used components (except for the amps) and got every bit of my money back (and then some) when I sold them.
It is not my intent to argue the "Tube vs. SS" debate. It is not my intent to influence anyone one way or the other. These are just my opinions from what I've experienced in my room on my speakers. Your MMV and there is only one way to find out.
