I-M-Biased Depends on where you are going to use the amp I guess...A hifi valve amp should have a lot of clean headroom - I'd dig that! My mate has a 60's Vox AC10, doesn't really breakup much, but has the sweetest cleans I've heard yet.
But I ain't lugging around that beastie ? Aside from weight, gear takes a beating when travelling!
If I was one man banding, then a PA makes sense - maybe just a powered speaker to start, though I'd think about a compact system. The Bose Line Array is pretty impressive.
If I was home use with an occasional gig out n about (PA usually available), then a loudbox mini makes more sense.