It is truly a matter of personal taste. I have both a hi end solid state system and a hi end tube based system as well. After a lifetime of solid state systems that has ended in a mark levinson Ayre power pre. I feel I know a bit about the pros and cons of solid state systems at or near the top. Having recently developing a tube system of canary monoblocks and a two box totally isolated by channel canary tube preamplifier in many way I like that better. I do understand you feeling that the running cost of tubes is much higher than a solid state system. They are both very good but even though they are very much the same they are very different. In short what I feel the difference is the solid state system feels like the performers are right in front of you. That is the system that I have had a number of old men cry when they listened to it. The sense of being there is very real. The tube system doesn't have that as much but it has beauty in a way that the solid state cannot come close to. It is totally beautiful rich and the voices sound very wonderful. I managed to get some of that into.the solid state system by using tubes in the front end. McIntosh mr71, a sonic frontier dac three, and an audio reseach reference phono stage. But when you ask which is better that us personal taste when it comes down to it. That is on the basis that the systems are on par with each other.
Regards