If the question is "is it safe" to run a 16 ohm speaker out of a tube amps 8 ohm jack, I think the answer is yes. Will an "all things being equal" 16 ohm speaker sound the same as an 8 ohm speaker? No, but that is not necessarily bad, particularly if you have high enough power. There's a good article on it here.
What Simon describes is what I understand to be generally true. It's why a lower (16 Ohm) resistance speaker sounds quieter than a 8 Ohm.
I think what JimC is referring to is the problem of running with no load. If the amp is "on" a valve amp in particular should have a speaker connected. I don't think it makes a difference whether it's 8 or 16, but their should be some resistance. The other thing that is confusing for a dyslexic person like myself is that "lower" resistance is a higher number.
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