
Carver’s approach were given Legitimacy, it would no longer be possible to sell the expensive tube amplifier and other very expensive audio components.

Their reasoning was obviously that if Mr. Unfortunately, the consumer audio press and the distribution channels reacted very negatively to Bob Carver’s approach. In double-blind listening tests he then demonstrated that the two amplifiers sounded identical.

He modified the transfer characteristics and output impedance of a low-cost solid-state power amplifier to match a very expensive tube amplifier that the audiophile community thought had the best sound quality. This is from an old Audio Critic article and deals more with solid state vs tube but I think it speaks to your initial question of emulating a tube sound:
