I also have a friend with a beat up solid state yamaha combo who believes that both my cornell and bruno (the best sounding guitar amp he has ever heard according to him) sound superior to the yamaha.
well, as with everything there will always be something better BUT if it works, it works!
cornell, fender, bruno, marshall, matchless, etc.. it'll all have it's compromises and strongpoints and depending on the player/listener's preferences/mileage it WILL be the best sounding amp during the time that it's the best sounding amp up until this same player hears or gets to play through something else that would make the same impression.
so still on the Threadstarter's question, it all depends on what your looking for and what your current tone preferences are.
i still prefer tube amps in the 15-30watt range for their ease of use and breakup tone.
but given anyday that there's only a good solid state available, i wouldn't mind playing through it.
it's not the gear, it's the music!