Tube amp / SS pre or SS amp / Tube pre?

There is not a prevailing opinion on SS-Tube combinations. I seen a fair share discussion on this, and what combination prevails is the opposite of what prevailed before. Cases can be made for any combo, but the best combo at the ultimate price, imo, is tubepre w/ tube amp.

Labtec and Ohlala, brings up some good points. Many prefer to use a tube pre with a solid power amp. This is due to costs, heat dissipation and trying to make the most of the typical advantages and minimize the typical diadvantages of tubes and solid state. Everything posted so far is true, it's a big picture to view. As for running a tube CD player into a solid state amp, you usually end up with impedance challanges that limit choices of compatable ss amps. The advantage is a simpler less expensive signal path. Other disadvantages include limited selection of CD players and often limited or non-existant switching capability.

Others have made very good points about the relative merits and potential hassles of the configurations discussed. Another possible alternative is a hybrid amp, which adds (if properly chosen) tube qualities without the need for mating with highly sensitive speakers. Tube replacement/rolling, as with tubed preamps, is relatively inexpensive. My system currently has a solid state preamp with a hybrid amp and I like the synergy. I did later change to a tube DAC for a touch more warmth. There are lots of ways to achieve the synergy you're after.