If I'm looking for "Tube Sound", why would I put a Tube Pre in front of a SS amp?

Most people I heard of drive electrostatics with tube amps. Preamp is not the most important component. Only tube power amp gives real taste of tube sound.

@inna I have run tubes for quite a long time and I will have to totally disagree with you there. Nothing changed the character of my sound more than a good tubed preamp.

Another rationale for using a tubed preamp is that tubes work better than solid-state in amplifying voltages since tubes work at hundreds of volts while SS works at tens of volts.  Solid-state work better at amplifying current since they have much lower output impedances, so there is a good reason to use SS power amps.  Not sure which will have the greatest "tube" sound since that is more subjective and affected by so many factors.

Having a fantastic tubed front end is the way to go if you like to spin vinyl and your speakers are a bit on the not sensitive side or not tube friendly. This is the way you inject that awesome tube sound without using a tube amplifier :-)

Matt M

In my experience, all things being equal, a tube amp will impart more of a tube sound to the presentation than a tube preamp, but some speakers need ss power to drive them and in that case there is only one way to go.