Nice rant, but, what if there's a perceptible difference between tube and solid state technologies?
Just because it cannot be objectively measured doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Just because it cannot be objectively measured doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Ironically, solid state amps can have a lower total harmonic distortion than tubes but produce a sound less desirable to humans (in general).
The difference between a tube amp and a solid state one, by the way, is one that you can objectively measure through spectrograms.
The difference is the fundamental mode of operation with different distortion characteristics. Class A amps will have both odd and even-order harmonics but class AB will be mostly even-order. That is both an audible and and electronically quantifiable difference.
If you are talking sound reproduction then A vs AB is insignificant because you only see the difference when the amplifier starts distorting. If you are a guitar player who drives an amp to distortion as a matter of course this difference is germane.
I just find it funny when you take a cynic look at it from the view of a hacker and not a musician/artist. Guitar players and selling gear to them is somehow a whole different ball game compared to, say, bass players who are generally much more open to new stuff.