Tube Preamp with Solid State Amp?

The Pass XA30.8 input impedance is 100 K ohms balanced, and the input capacitance is just a few picofarads so anything will drive it.

I have a Rogue Metis pre with a SS Amp and love it. Very little noise. What tubes you choose does make a difference so you get to do a little tube rolling and that’s fun.  

I have used a tube preamp (Audio Research Reference 3) with a solid state amp (Audio Research 100.2) with medium efficiency speakers (89-90 dB) with great results. As stated above, it gives you the best of both worlds.  You get the 3D soundstage with tubes and bass control with solid state. For your highly efficient Cornwall IVs however, I would suggest a SET tube amp (e.g., Coincident Dynamo) or a lower wattage tube integrated such as Quicksilver, Leben CSX300 (15 wpc with EL84 tubes) or perhaps Linear Tube Audio 10 watt ZOTL.  I have a Coincident Dynamo 34 SE mark ii amp (8 wpc) with my Klipsch Heresy IIIs, which offers very good bass control for a SET/SEP amp with EL34 tubes, excellent 3D soundstage, but more of a clear detailed solid state like treble (rather than vintage buttery warm tube sound) with rolled off smooth highs. Just one more opinion. Good luck!

If you like Maggies like I do, solid state amps are mandatory and adding a tube pre produces a warmer, more holographic soundstage.  Right now I'm enjoying a Marantz 7c with a Mark Levinson 23.5 amp into Magnepan Tympani 1-D's.  It's H-U-G-E!

I love how every question is viewed as an invitation for a word-salad description of everyone’s systems: "I’ve been running my Socrates Coriander Maxi-Spinnakers (the XLT with the optional basin reinforcements) with a Blue Trident Axolotl directly integrated to a bi-wired Dimetrodon...and that is my bathroom system..."

Not that actual equipment configurations isn’t helpful info...but for some people I think their real hobby isn’t even music or gear, it is simply talking about their gear by concatenating multi-syllabic words. To each his own.

Anyway, a bit of practical input. I’ve had tube power amps and tube preamps and you definitely get the most "tube-like euphony" from power amps. However, I did find that tube rolling super vintage tubes in a good tube preamp (my current one is a BAT...too short a name for the hobby) does also provide that.

BUT: I have found that most new (i.e. modern production) tubes have a more solid state type of sound, or at least do not offer as much of that syrupy euphony. It really is the vintage ones that have the most effect, and those are quite expensive and very difficult to match.

So, if you go tubes, even preamp, be prepared to spend substantial amounts per tube to be able to experiment and get to your desired results. I’m sure the impact of tubes differs gear to gear, and YMMV and all that. This has just been my experience.