Yes, occasionally, distortion is higher with tube amps, but the character of the distortion is more pleasant.
I know it sounds hokey, but you won't worry about the "specs" once you've heard a good tube amp.
Tube amps come in all wattages, however, 50w of tube amp power "seems" like 100w or more of SS power.
I don't know the science behind this, I'm sure it's here if you search.
Current can vary among tube amps, some do run through tubes faster than others, some may be biased by the listened with tube life vs. sound in mind.
If you listen to music more than HT, I would definately recommend at least 2 channels of tube power. 3 (Left Front, Center, Right Front) channels would be great.
It is my understanding that most info still comes from the center speaker and teh front 2. All of the speakers won't sound the same with tube and SS mixed, but even with identical speakers and identical amps, the positioning of teh speakers will result in a difference in sound. Bottom line- you're curious, and that's good. Once you listen to a good tube amp, You won't go back to SS!
I'd suggest an amp that uses 6550, or kt88 tubes, as opposed to el34. El34 tubes have a richer midrange, but a hardcore solid state guy would immediately miss the bass that most el34 based amps lack.
Anyway, good luck!!!