Could it be that the characteristic sound that drive the dislike for solid state amplifiers is most valid with the consumer level products and then becomes less and less of a factor the more thought and care is put into the designs?
My experience is relatively limited, but I found my only tube integrated (Yaqin) to sounds great. I considered it to be a very high value product and likely superior to most solid state amplifiers with a similar price point. The Yaqin was a factor in my interest in my current hybrid integrated (Pathos).
I still believe that solid Krell amplifiers have been in most of the systems that I've considered to sound the best. I had a Krell S-300i for a while because of my experiences in hifi shops with Krell, but ended up preferring my Pathos after rolling some tubes.