Why do tube amps often subjectively sound more powerful than SS ?

I listen mostly at moderate levels, not much distortion besides the one coming from the recordings themselves and some from the speakers that I do hear.

The impression is that tube amp does have more power in reserve, and you can feel it.

Tubes are superior to transistors, anyway, and that's a true explanation ! I agree with many others here.

How does anyone hear "power" from an amp or anything else? Volume, sure. power, not in the least.

Just thinking out loud. Tube amps also tend to boost the mid bass and mid range (from about 1 kHz to 2 kHz or ao) due to their low damping factor interacting with speaker impedance. This could be part of the explanation for differences in ound versus solid state.

On the other hand, if you talk Gryphon SS power..This can be bloody hell. I didn't compare directly Gryphon and, say, VAC or ARC amps. Now, this could be interesting in terms of power and it's perception.

@mapman suggested a spl session, which I second.  You phones ought to have one as a matter of course imho....  Quit guessing how loud is loud.... ;)

Having grown up ( years-wise, anyway ) with tubes, I kinda developed a recalcitrance to rolling and trolling for ones that would keep the TV up, later with early 'audio' about.

For sure, the early ss stuff had issues....it's typ with anything new, like D.....
D amplification has improved rather quickly, a lot faster than the early ss did.

But what they are really talking about and also in this case is distortion and how it interacts with the human ear (the ear uses higher ordered harmonics to gauge sound pressure.  

Add in the noting of impedance variables, the different characters' of pre's, amp's. cables, ic's. source types....

...and the room you're in and the chair under you.

All that said, if I stumble upon a tube amp I recognize from y'all that can be stolen for a pence or three, consider it bagged.  I'm curious about how my Walsh will react to a different sort of feed.... ;) *G*