Two things stand out in this conversation...tubes can be removing information (where do they put it? In cheap capacitors?), and sequencers can add color. Sequencers? In my experience while living in the actual world it seems tubes can get more detail out of a signal which may seem like "color" although it could (if tubes are pushed or old) simply be pleasant distortion...and sequencers allow synthesized sounds to be repeated, which isn’t "color" unless you have a very short attention span and need things to be repeated...or you’re recording your magnum opus like Wendy Carlos...or you don’t know what a sequencer is.
How do you add color?
For those of you who are adherents of straight wire, ruler flat frequency response, accurate and neutral sound, artists’ true intentions, etc. ... please stop reading now. You’ve been warned. If you continue to read, you might get heartburn and since I’m a nice guy, I don’t want to do that to you.
Now, for those who are not opposed to adding a bit of color and flavor to tune/tweak the sound to their liking, what is your preferred method of madness? Speakers, amps, preamps, DACs, cables? I know many who like the combination of solid state amps with tube preamps. Lately, a lot of upmarket DACs are using tubes (Lampizator) or R2R to add a sort of tube-like flavoring. Let’s say you’re happy with your solid state amp but want to add a bit of tube magic to the chain, would you get there by way of tube preamps or tube DACs? Or both -- which might be too much of a good thing perhaps?