'She just doesn't get that warm feeling from basking in the amp's glow.'
I think this is mostly a genetic male thing, like sitting around the campfire in the old west.
My wife can't stand the look of tubes. She claims they look 'tacky'. I have a tube phono preamp, preamp and cd player, but no tube glow can be seen, as they are all hidden from view inside a chassis'. Sigh.... Oh well, at least she doesn't complain about the $$$ I spend.
Hopefully, someday soon, one of my 3 boys will move out, and I can finally set up a dedicated audio room.