Amps Amplifiers

Can somebody please explain the difference between valve and solid state amplifiers?

I am interested in the differences when it comes to the sound, feel and overall quality of the amps. I am looking to buying an amplifier in the 400-600 price range and my friend suggested that I should be looking at valve amplifiers, but is there a real big difference between the sounds?
I currently have a Fender G-Dec and a Schecter Hellraiser FR.

the tube will give a slightly warmer tone due to the way a tube works (it loses some of the highs). it is best used for blues, r&b or classic rock sounds. it is harder to overdrive at lower volume levels than a solid state amp, so if you want crunch at lower levels, go with the solid state. most manufacturers will still make tube amps today, but the tubes are usually only in the pre-amp stage with solid state as the main power amp. check out http://www.carvin.com/ for their tube offerings.

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