Are tubes really “warm”?

@noble100   

and the quality of the reproduction system as a whole rather than the inclusion or exclusion of tubes in the audio chain.

+1....you said it so I didn't have to. As if all you're listening to is a tube...ha.

Newer VTL, and AR both sound like the older Krell, to me. Nothing warm about it.  Citation II, MC30, Marantz #7 and 9s that's the warm sound of valves people refer to. When folks say it now, I doubt a lot have heard the old valve sound. Like noromance said. Different parts, and a lot tighter tolerances, now.. 50 years ago... They ran WARMER too, oh my...... LOL

Regards

 I believe absolutes in this hobby are best avoided.

@ Nobel100, well sure, in general, ss amps display a  characteritic, which tube fans have no desire to ever go back to. 
Speaking of ARC, I've only heard a  ARC system with a  speaker that may have colored, in fact no doubt did color the sound. 
can't reacll the big tower speakers,, He had  a cary 303 cd player
I did not like the sound. 
As I say, i recently auditioned a  hefty tube pre (retails @ $3K+) , i do not want to call out the brand.  But just did not synergize in my system (lame excuse). Maybe one of the other models has superior sonics, i have no idea, Not willing to chance it.
But I do know fora  fact  there  does <<NOT>> exist any ss pre amp in the universe that would even comke close to meeting my expectations. 
I am not speaking in generalities here,,I am stanch dogmatic religious on that POV.
Now as for amps,, sure there are some tube amps, than  may lose in a  shootout with some ss amps, this is quite likely. 
But in general, a  well designed (that'll cost ya bud) tube amp will out perform  ss amps  costing 2X's+ more
THere is hype in both designs. But in general , you can find more snakeoil flowing through ss designs. 

You can take top 3 ss amp designs in the world, hook em up to highly colored (crappy/high distortion/high fatigure, muddy/murky/not warm, but HOT as hell), and you'll end up with a  pile of _____
Now take 3 top tube designs in the world , with same highly colored speakers,,and you'll at lesat get some semblance of a  live stage experience. 
This is the point i am trying to emphasize.
World's very best ss designs can not match worlds finest tube designs. In all areas of  sonic fq resolution/sound stage/live experience. 

I now believe that good body, tone richness and a good sense of dimension to stereo sound stage illusion images are more a function of the qualities of the music, the quality of the recording and the quality of the reproduction system as a whole rather than the inclusion or exclusion of tubes in the audio chain. I believe absolutes in this hobby are best avoided.

^Amen.