I have to wonder how much of the "amp in the room" (other than the smell ) is our tendency to like sounds that are louder.
I have yet to hear an "amp in the room" that compares to my Kemper rig through my full PA. Of course, in this case, the full PA is a pair of DSR112's over a pair of PRX618XLF's .... so the tables are completely turned on the now flimsy sounding 4x12 cab when it comes to output.... especially down low.
Micing even great sounding tube amps doesn't seem to get the same FOH sound .... at least to my ears.
On stage ..... quite different.
Tube amps are powerful. They are designed to really punch out peak power (thus the huge transformers in them that makes them such a treat to move around).
No offense to those here that prefer the "amp in the room" feeling. I am just wondering if what we all like about it is "my guitar is really blasting .... in the room" feeling.
Thoughts?