HI OP, As many state, I too wanted to live the tube life, sweet rich and non fatiguing. My first toe in the tube water was PS Audio, where I trialed lower end stuff and ended up with BHK Preamp, BHK stereo amp and DS DAC. Both Amp and pre are 'hybrid tube designs'. But I missed the clarity and resolution of other SS stuff I had heard. I demo'd in my home the McIntosh C2700 tube pre, both with my BHK amp and my SS Classe amp. It was (to me) less clear and resolving than the BHK preamp. Then I purchased the AudioNet Pre1 G3. Wow. clarity and resolution, non fatiguing etc. Just takes better SS stuff to get there. Sold all of my PS audio, and now I hear all the little things, tingly things, soundstage etc. I do hear uber expensive tube stuff is amazing, but for me, happy with the SS and happy to not mess with tubes. The AudioNet stuff is awesome, and I have on order the Pre G2 and the mono Amps, trading up from the Pre 1 G3 and selling my Classe CA-2300, which is nice, but not as nice. Oh... and the background is now dead quiet...not so with the PS stuff at all. I could not handle the background noise. Ken