Me too but subjective listening won the day. There may be more measured distortion but the sound is perceived as being less distorted, better defined, more vivid and the grain of solid state amps is absent. It isn't a warm 'n cuddly sound, far from it. It is quite ballsy, well defined and very explicit. Solid state amplifiers on the whole sound rather dull and flat in comparison as well as a bit slow.

I hope I've not used too many clichés here. If anything, the valve sound I've become accustomed too is anything but cliché.