tube vs solid state amps

i have a solid state marshal combo amp (2x15 watts) and a carvin tube 100 watt amp with a 4x12 speaker cab. i've been practicing through the marshall for a few years, and just recently got the carvin.
here's my problem. side by side at the same volume, there's a major difference in tone. the marshall has a very clean attack, good sustain, but next to the carvin, it sounds artificial, obviously electronic, two dimensional. the carvin, on the other hand, has a very full, heavy sound. BUT, it "pops" the notes. the note rings out very loud when you play it, followed by a much quieter sustain. i believe it's because of the lack of compression on tube amps.
after playing through the carvin for a couple hours, it doesn't seem to be as noticable, but i'm not sure whether it's because my attack changes, or whether my ears just adjusted. i play a les paul, and have one pedal, a boss ds1 distortion pedal, and i beat the crap out of it on some songs, and on others i play very precise figures. the marshall seems to be more forgiving for both these extremes, in that you get a much smoother tone, but you really don't get the feeling of riding a bull that you do with the carvin rig.
anyway, i just needed to get this out there. if anyone has any suggestions about getting a smoother tone out of the tube amp, i'd like to hear them. right now i'm contemplating playing through both, with the marshall on top of the carvin, which is how i've been practicing.