Looks like you have superior ears to the sound engineers that were used in this test then (scroll down to the last page)
http://www.peavey.com/support/technotes/hartley/Chapter_3.pdf
Marketing.
While Peavey's Transtube tech is a great platform for beginners, malayo pa rin sa tunog ng tube amps nila. Huwag na tayo lumabas. Pag tabihin mo Bandit 112 at Valveking 112. Ang layo ng tunog, response at warmth. Paano pa kaya pag tinabi mo ang bandit sa 5150, XXII, JSX o 3120.
i like tube amps, but not all. i like the ethos too. pero halimaw din ung zt club.
may panget na tube amps na lubos sa mix. may ss din na nakakainis gamitin. saken kelangan mo lang ng enough playtime with an amp para madeem if it is good or not.
a lot of settings that sound awesome when you are alone just flat out suck when you are in a band setting. also, a lot of amps, like a peavey bandit sound great alone, but when you are playing with a loud drummer, it flat out sucks.
then theres the matter of great sounding alone tone, but mixed with the bass and drums, you end up getting drowned out
Yes, one of the main criteria for me for considering amps, solid state or tube is how they fit and slice through the mix. pag nawawala sa mix tapon na yan. lol.
i love the peavey bandit. di namimili ng pedals. pero minsan nawawala siya sa mix dahil kulang sa mids. depends on the application though.
Special wound transformers + 6 tubes vs. a board full of IC's? No significant jump in component price? I think not.
and years of research and development. premium casings. road worthy design. trademark of unique technologies and features. malamang mas mataas presyo. di lang naman components ang basehan ng presyo. and most of the best amps in the world are produced in countries with expensive labor. do the math dtmateo.