Sam Tellig is far from the first or only reviewer to comment on tube distortion. There is a school of thought which contends that the reason why tube designs, and SET designs, in particular, have a sound that many find so appealing is because they introduce euphonious distortion. Now, hardly anyone wants to be told (1) that his amp has distortion and (2) that his ears prefer distorted to non-distorted sound. Thus, it isn't too surprising that the euphonious distortion argument is very often met with derision, if not anger.
In an ideal world, we would spend a lot more time saying what we like and why we like it rather than making broad and unsubstantiated (and largely unsubstantiatable) claims. For example, Twl and I disagree about the importance of low end extension, but I admire him for the fact that he doesn't propound pseudoscience in support of his position. He mostly says what the sound is like and why he prefers it. That's a good way to approach these discussions and one that I appreciate.
will
In an ideal world, we would spend a lot more time saying what we like and why we like it rather than making broad and unsubstantiated (and largely unsubstantiatable) claims. For example, Twl and I disagree about the importance of low end extension, but I admire him for the fact that he doesn't propound pseudoscience in support of his position. He mostly says what the sound is like and why he prefers it. That's a good way to approach these discussions and one that I appreciate.
will