Tube preamp for SS amp


6922, 6H30 or 6SN7 decisions decisions. What sounds good to me might not sound so good to somebody else....I get it, but is there a tube preamp/solid state amp that is not a good match sonically (running a pass labs x250.5 and bryston 4bsst2). I can drive 2hrs and audition some ACR equipment however that's it. Everything else would be purchased out of state and most places will have to special order something else in (ie modwright ls100, cj ET3SE, audible illusions...) and will only take the equipment back for store credit.
chad2635
I know of audiophiles who have mated ARC tube preamps with vintage Threshold amps so the ARC Pass Labs combo might work for you. I say audition the ARC stuff first as it isn't too long of a drive before you start buying and trying.
My first tube preamp was a CJ 16ls 2 that I ran into a Mark Levinson 336 amp. It replaced a Krell SS KRC preamp and I was very happy with the sound - much smoother and more detailed.

The 16LS 2 is a great choice if you can find one used, although it is picky on interconnects and my understanding is it does not do well with long runs.

I ended up selling the Levinson and going to lower power Cary Tube amp which the CJ also did very well with.

I used 1 meter Synergistic Designer Reference (top of the line from early 2000s) RCA cables and was very happy with this setup for many years.

I most recently upgraded to a CJ GAT, which surprisingly, was not a quantum improvement over the 16LS 2.
The most important aspect to consider is the output impedance of a tube preamp. The lower it is , the better it is going to drive SS amps. One of the very few preamps that can drive ANY SS amp is CAT. It has the same 100ohm output impedance as the hybrid GAT LLoydelee21 mentioned. However, CAT is all tube with an outboard power supply.

Dealer disclosure.
I recently swapped to a cary slp-05 from a classe dr6 in my rig. It feeds a sanders sound esl-300 ss amp and a pair of Maggie 3.7's.I should have made the swap to a tube pre a long time ago.... it is the best upgrade in sound quality I have had from one piece of gear. Since it only uses 6sn7's there is a huge number of brands and types of tubes to roll both NOS and new production you can find the exact sound you want easily.
Rogue Audio has preamps which offer low output impedances, low enough to mate with SS amps.
The Athena has an output impedance of 220 Ohms,
the Hera II output is 120 Ohms. Gain is 12dB single ended, and 15dB Balanced.