I'm always amused when an audiophile claims to like tube amps. Tubes are great for music
production, but they're crappy for music
REproduction. Music production is art, and any device that makes a sound the artist likes is fair game, but REproduction should be as accurate to the original recording as possible. Transistors from Radio Shack easily beat the best tubes on earth for amplification accuracy, because transistors don't rely on boiling electrons off the end of a highly-charged electrode. (admittedly, the tubes are almost certainly paired with higher-quality solid-state components than the transistors, which helps a lot, but in a direct comparison, transistors will always beat tubes for accuracy.)
If an accurately-replayed recording sounds like crap, the solution is not to mask the crappiness by using a tube amp to "add warmth" to the output signal -- the solution is to remaster the recording to suit your preference. Fortunately, Audacity is free to download online.
Anyway, my preferred listening is through a set of $60 Sony earbuds with silicone earplugs (best bang/buck ratio I've ever heard), or through my $2000 JBL self-correcting studio monitors connected to my TV computer via a digital audio cable.
Pic for proof.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y186/deusexaethera/amenities/CIMG5226.jpg
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