Tube-Curious/Pre-amp

Yes, a tube pre-amp paired to a solid state power amp is the best way to use tubes. Tube power amps that get it right are expensive, and maintaining a power tube complement can be a pain, to your wallet among other things.

My Van Alstine Transcendence RB10 preamp feeds a FirstWatt F8. The sound is both uncolored one way or the other and also musical.

I recently switched from a solid state system to tubes, moving from an NAD integrated amp (356BEE) as my preamp and a McIntosh MC2120 power amp to a a Rogue Audio RP-7 preamp and Rogue Stereo 100 tube power amplifier.  I first replaced the NAD with a Rogue RP-1 and was pleased by the difference a decent tube preamp.made in the sound quality: a few months later, I replaced the 44-year old McIntosh power amp with a Benchmark SS AHB2 power amp, which made a further improvement.  However, after listening to an all tube system—admittedly, further up the cost chain—I decided to replace both units with the Rogue Audio RP-7 preamplifier and the Stereo 100 Dark power amplifier, driving Fyne Audio F-702 speakers (made there in the UK, in Scotland).  The improvement over the initial upgrades was astounding.  The music seems much more clear, much more “organic” and “really there.”  (I listen to classical—Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Richard Strauss, and others, soft rock, vocals, and some jazz.). Having attended numerous live classical concerts over the years, my system now comes much closer to replicating live music—although it is still a good bit away from it.  Lateral dispersion and instrument placement is excellent, as is the depth of the sound stage.  I must do more listening and let the Stereo 100 fully “burn in,” but I—and my wife—are already very, very pleased by the sound the equipment is reproducing.  In my case, moving to a tube system achieved and even greater improvement in SQ than I had anticipated.

I have the JJ 243 tube preamp and love it. 

I've owned lots of preamps over many years, but my original version Freya (early adopter) with NOS GEs is a superb sounding preamp with features nothing else even comes close to. Runs quieter in its tube mode than most SS or passive preamps do without tubes, works beautifully with tube or SS amps (I use either a hand made Dennis Had Firebottle tube amp or more often a brilliant Pass XA-25), and costs less new than any US made anything else. It sort of has no actual competition in its class...it's just too inexpensive for many so-called audiophiles, but gets a "Class A" rating in Stereophile anyway. 

Why not look into hybrid integrated amps?  You could sell or trade your Atoll in.  I had a pair of bridged Pathos Classic One MK III's a few years ago that were quite nice and before that miscellaneous Chinese amps, Xindak and Consonace.  Soundwise, all were nice but reliability issues would preclude a recommendation on those Sino-amps.  And being in the UK, you have access to all of Europe and a better exchange rate.  Go to hifishark and type in "hybrid integrated" , both for sale and those already sold, for several possibilities