Tubes v. SS: can you mix and match?

Wow, that was a mouthful Zaikesman. I didn't understand all of that, I'm sure. Hmm . . . I'm a little long of tooth, now, but I listen to rock a lot, yet enjoy classical on occassion. The speakers are currently Energy A5+2s, but I'm searching for Energy Veritas 2.3s. I want to bail on my faithful SS Adcom 500II preamp and 545II amp, and try a SS preamp/tube amp scenario. No phono here; simple line staging. So passive SS preamp coupled to a tube amp capable of 50 watts and up should do it. I'm looking for a more musical, warmer sound in my Blue Oyster Cult to U2 rock; my reggae's bass will take care of itself. Any thoughts?

Oh, and I'm prety sure my interconnect action is fine. (.5 meter Audioquests)

Webnick, are you sure you meant to say "passive" preamp, not linestage? The two are different (though not mutually exclusive) things. You probably know this, but "linestage" just means there's no phono pre-preamplification included. "Passive" means the inputs and outputs are not actively impedance-buffered and the 'preamp' offers no gain, just attenuation. Going passive *could* offer a theoretical advantage in ultimate transparency under ideal conditions, but there's the rub - it can be very condition-sensitive. I'm guessing that for a relatively non-tweaky audiophile and bass-enthusiast like you seem to be, an active linestage preamp might be the safer bet, especially if you listen at a wide range of volumes.

(My presumptive description of you as a listener and audiophile - if correct - could also point towards SS power amplification over tubes, which generally won't give quite the bass or carefree operation that SS can. This is why many audiophiles who want to incorporate some tubes go the tubed preamp route, but that's another kettle of fish, and as a tube-lover myself I don't want to discourage tubed experimentation. In any case though, you should be able to improve greatly on the Adcom stack, whether you go all-tubed, all-SS, or a combination of the two.)

For your proposed combination of SS preamplification and tubed power amplification, I've found this can work very well, provided of course the gear is up to snuff. In particular, forgoing tubes in the preamp can eliminate some potential hassles with tube noise and finding decent tubes, while I feel that a tubed power amp is the main contributor to providing the greatest traditional strengths of tubes (as well as some weaknesses, but in areas I don't value as highly; I should note that this assessment is probably a minority view). Impedance concerns won't be a factor here: SS preamps (active ones, that is) have low output impedances and tube amps have high input impedances, so the minimum 10X ratio differential rule of thumb will be handily exceeded and no roll-offs will occur. Your options are pretty wide-open, but the way I'd approach it personally would be to get your speakers first, then find an amp that works well with them and your room and tastes, and save the preamp for the crowning touch (well, relatively speaking...next you'll start itching about your source, cables, power... :-)

I'll throw my two cents in the mix, I have a Jolida 1501RC, and have had everything else (SS), well, not everything else (would like to try Pass), but with my Triangles, my current system, is the best I have ever had in 20 years of this obsession, and I am truly pleased..

Hey, Zaikesman. Thanks for your input. Let me address your insights in the order presented.

I thought passive meant 'no tone controls.' Active meant otherwise. My bad. I'm just looking for the cleanest warm sound I can get.

I'm not really a bass enthusiast (even if I seem to be), but rather one who likes sharply defined bass (I don't like it loud, just accurate). So I don't need 'punch' for my music.

So you like the tube amp route? After filing my last post to this thread, I second guessed myself and began to wonder if a tube preamp/ss amp might be a better route. Listeners seem to be dumping a lot of ss amps on the market right now (for example, I've noticed a lot of Adcom 565 monoblocks on the market for relatively cheap). Conversely, seems that the new tube amps on the market in my price range have very low power ratings and the ones that specify the requisite power are older. And as related side questions, do you leave your tube amp on all the time? And is it a relatively new feature that some preamps and have have a power-on standby circuit?

Tunes4me: have you replaced the stock tubes in your Jolida? What did you give for it, if you don't mind me asking, and what did you have before it?

Thanks folks.

Webnick, I think if you consider setting your sights a bit higher (and maybe spending a bit more) than another Adcom - even a more powerful one such as the 565 - you'll be happier in the long run. The speakers you plan to get deserve it. Get the speakers first, then audition some amps, maybe in comparsion to a 565; I don't think you'll be very hard-pressed to find something better. Most audiophiles will allocate at least as much, and often more, to the power amplification than to the speakers. Getting yourself a pair of fairly expensive and revealing speakers, and then trying to power them on the cheap, will rarely work out well - the speakers often wind up highlighting the amp's inadequacies. Listen for yourself and you'll likely agree (and don't neglect trying a speaker cable upgrade at the same time).

You are correct in thinking that you can buy more power for less money going the SS route, although that will not necessarily translate into better sound, or even sound that sounds 'more powerful' - lower-powered tube amps have a habit of exceeding expectations in this area compared to moderately-priced SS amps, so don't get bogged-down in the numbers game of counting rated wpc. Go for quality over quantity.

Bass will usually be more "sharply-defined" with equivalent-quality SS amplification than with tubes. Again, this won't automatically mean 'better' (as in 'more natural') to many listeners, but these things are why you might want to try and hear some tubed amps for yourself before committing, if you can.

To answer your other question, a tubed amp will be turned all the way off when not in use, but it will arrive at fully-warmed-up sooner after being turned on than a SS amp would if it were not on stand-by. Stand-by on preamps is not new, but is more common for SS than for tubes, and running tubes continuously can shorten their life, although so can turning them on and off frequently. Probably most audiophiles turn their tube preamps off when not it use, but there is a large contingent than leaves them on - if you get a tubed pre, you can try this and decide for yourself.