Yeah I would go with the valve every time. Just personal preference, but since owning my fist valve amp when I was about 10 (I stripped it out of an old music center and build a chassis for it with my uncle) I've been hooked.
They can be a bit spitty and bright if you don't feed them with a good quality source but they do sound incredibly warm and comforting
For many years I had a Rogers (BBC) E40a, that thing was just the best amp I've ever owned. Managed to get it free when the factory closed down..
£130 for what it is (you'll see if you order one, the box and build quality are top drawer) are unbeatable. For £99 Creative do one but it's not valve and it's tiny. This thing is serious.
I'm not dissing that one on OCUK (it probably cost less elsewhere though knowing them) but it's just a completely different kettle of fish to valve.
I'm just happy that valves are mass produced because dude, they used to be eye wateringly expensive. When my first one eventually died (it was mono lmao) the valves cost around £250 back then in the late 80s.
It's definitely good to see them back in production at affordable prices. My Fatman Blu has three and my Koda uses two. The Koda isn't valve powered it's transistor but the entire pre stage is valve so the sound is spot on.