Tube Preamps that work well with SS amps?


I'm looking for a tube preamp after years of strictly SS. My amps will remain SS. Which tube preamp(s) in your experience mated well with a SS amp? I'm trying to avoid the odd phenomenon where tube preamp + SS amp = slow, soggy sound in spite of benign impedance characteristics

greg7

I use an MSB S-200 SS power amp and a Herron Audio VTSP-360 tube preamp. They go very nicely together because both are very neutral and uncolored. The tube preamp neither looks nor sounds like a piece of tube gear, and the power amp will amplify whatever is sent to it without coloring it, drying it, moistening it, or anything else. The speakers or headphones supply whatever coloration I might want. 

OK, I want to hear about those specific instances of tube preamp + SS amp = soggy sound?

"I want to hear about those specific instances of tube preamp + SS amp = soggy sound"

Yes, of course. If you put the tube amp on the bottom, under the mayonnaise, the sound will be very soggy. If you put the SS amp on the bottom, it is hardly soggy at all. 😉

 

Hi Greg, I'm currently running a Backert Labs Rhumba Extreme preamp with Pass Labs XA 30.8 amp. These are pushing a pair of Audio Note AN-K's. I also have a Sonnet Morpheus DAC in the signal path when using my streamer and CD transport. I've had this set up together for about 3 months now and am very satisfied.