I have no experience with solid state pre-amps so I can't comment on differences in sound quality. There are a couple of disavantages to tubes. The noise floor is not as low as with solid state and the tubes have to be periodically replaced (not an insignificant cost in my case). This said, I really like the results that I am getting from my system which is comprised of a Sonic Frontiers Line 3 preamp, Bryston 4BST SS amp, and Ohm Walsh 300 speakers. If you decide to get a tube preamp then you should check out Sonic Frontier's gear. It sure provides a big bang for the buck.
Tube Pre-amp beneficial?
Will a tube pre-amp "warm-up" my Martin Logan SL-3s if I am running a SS amp (Sunfire)? Or, do I need tubes throughout? I am currently using an Adcom GFP-565 in bypass mode, and I would like to upgrade the pre (staying under $1000) and add a remote, any recommendations from people with similar equipment would be appreciated.