You won't hear "banshee screaming" from me; I agree with you. I think the good news is that if the kit makers are making them sound right, they all will sound pretty much the same. There will be subtle differences, because amps like that are pretty sensitive. They have high output impedance and no mechanisms for distortion cancellation. But all-in-all, if they're pretty good they'll have similar tonal characteristics.

Stuff that sounds different in stark contrast are those amps that have 10dB rolled off high end, stuff like that. I really wince when I hear equipment that's way off, no point in having it in my opinion.

I see the tube amps as a form of art. They're not just engineering, they're also art. In fact, maybe more so.

I think I've been as intrigued by the aesthetics and novelty as I have the sound. So that's a part of the deal to me. When I see a tube amp that sounds good but looks like a science project, and another that also sounds good but looks like art, I'll take the attractive one every time. Sure, form follows function but that's not to say that form has to be ugly for function to be good.

Wayne