Could this be one reason tubes (and perhaps records) sound better?

Yes, this topic has come up on a regular basis. I believe it is due to generational overlap, in that, those of us old enough to remember when everything was powered by tubes and turntables were the only means of listening, now overlap with succeeding generations of those who've been raised without.

One generation is enough to establish a trend, tastes, and preferences. Imagine several added into the mix. Nostalgia can be a potent potion and passed down through generations as well. Add in the need to rationalize a particular preference and everything comes full circle.

It all boils down to preference since it's all, at best, imaginary.

All the best,
Nonoise

Before science, people when looked up the night sky at the milky way and thought that the milky way was sort of like a backbone, a backbone of the night sky, and if without it, the night sky would fall down on earth and could end all life. Now we know better but probably still not enough. Quantum physics is all but a stop gap measure until something better comes along. Things we though we knew too well in the past, now turned out to be false or at least only half true.

"I think therefore I am". Indeed, trying to see "reality" has been man’s quest since the begin of time. But the more we know about "reality", the more elusive it has become, and now there are people who are even doubting that we will ever be able to know the actual "reality". Even the question itself is absurd as if asking what is "infinity" as if there is such a thing other than it is just an abstract human concept.

So why is tubes are more "musical" than solid state? Hm ... I am afraid it will be "I hear therefore I am". Maybe someone will devise a test to figure out what that is. I think I’d give up waiting for it before giving up trying to find God (or Goddess if you're horny like me :-))

Thank you for your wisdom Mr Dylan

We need to come up with agreed to standards, benchmarks, yardsticks. 
Not measurements only, but points of reference that we can agree on. 
Then we can explore together and come back with real improvements.