Newbi seeking advise - why tubed pre-amp?

it get you the "tube sound" without the expense of a tube power amp. Tube amps tend to be expensive (even more so for powerful ones). Plus the power output tubes in a tube amp wear out more often and cost more than line level tubes. Hence the appeal of tube DACs, phono stages, and linestages. Costs and inconvenience aside, I still prefer tube amps over tube linestages and DACs. You get more of the tube sound that way.

I prefer tube amps, but most speakers aren't optimally driven with tubes. Which lessens the appeal for most everyone else.

Loujo
Tubes on the pre amp/pre amp section=Magic!It brings an openess ,spaciousness, three dimensionality and naturalness to the sound that you sometimes only realise when you take the tubes away and go back to ss on the pre.
I have my third Hybrid integrated now,Pathos Logos,a very special amp.
Tubes on the pre usually lasts 5000 to 10000 hours.They are also very inexpensive.Can also go and look for some excotic NOS tubes which makes it fun.
I have changed the standard Sovteks to Siemens CCa from the 1960's and the Logos is sounding even better.
Tubes=Colouration,nonsense!Best voltage gain is in a tube-period!Best current gain in SState.
For your home office ?Cannot think of anything better than the new Pathos Classic One.A beautiful amp that would add to the decor and has very good reviews.See Sam Tellig's comments in Stereophile Nov 2003.Visit ukd.co.uk for more reviews and pathosacoustics.com for product description.
If you go the tube route on pre you will never go back !(I have tried and went back to the tubes)
Tube power amps:Only the very expensive push pulls or the OTL's(output transformerless)eg.Berning,Joule-Electra,Atma-Sphere.Speaker choice becomes more critical.
Those glowing tubes are special.....
Chris

Tubes are not always the key for bringing musical reproduction from any given system IMO, on one hand it softness some of the digital sonic artifacts that many CDPs bring into the signal chain but on the other it may bring some colourations not present in the original recording event.

I like tubes, and have had them for a while (currently in my CDP), but there are some trade-offs one should always consider.

My two cents

Fernando

The trade offs really involve coming from digital though. It dependson what you're sourcing. Also I would like to add to what bluebullsays: it's best tube voltage with low gain that makes a preamp good.