Ok, well, I am a reviewer, so there is at least one reviewer's setup that is presently using that particular arrangement. It may not be the simplest solution to the problem, but it's one that works well.
If the two preamps were actually combined together on one chassis that would be simpler and more optimum, and no-one would raise an eyebrow, not even Onhwy61.
As it is, we have two totally isolated power supplies for the respective solid-state and tube stages with the ability to fine tune the power cords and interconnects for each section, independently.
Since we are going through an extra volume control and an extra set of interconnects, the configuration is not ideal. Yet to my ears, in many ways, the combination of the two sounds better than either preamp alone. That is all I'm saying, and I'm hoping it doesn't raise your blood pressure too much.
If someone would volunteer to combine these two preamps on a single chassis for me and bypass one volume control, that would be great. But until that happens, I hope you don't mind if I enjoy the great sound I'm hearing right now.
In addition to the Z-man and Musical Fidelity tube line buffers, I will remind you that a few years ago there was another audiophile product specifically developed for this purpose, called the Harmonic Recovery System, by SCE. It got terrific reviews in many of the mags. The reviewers universally agreed that their systems sounded considerably better by adding this device (essentially a high-current, solid-state preamp) than without it.
