SS Pre-Amp / Tube Amp

Dave, I disagree with your assertion that a SS pre and tube amp is "backwards". It was one of my best combinations. I went from a tube pre + tube amp to SS pre + SS amp. I couldn't believe the difference! (And the SS pre cost a lot less than the tube pre, to boot.) The bass was MUCH better, and so were the dynamics. That doesn't support your theory that the preamp is all about microdynamics and the poweramp is all about macrodynamics. In fact, I've learned just how tremendously preamps can influence the sound; indeed, in my system, the preamp is the most volatile part of the system, as I've gone through a number of preamps in the past few years.

Don't be afraid to try the "backwards" method; it has the potential to work very well.

Michael

I ran a klyne 6lx3p preamp with my Cary slam 100's driving my dunlavy sc3's and there was good synergy between them; I am a believer that a solid state preamp can work very well with tube power.

I agree with Audiokinesis. First you pick a speaker you love, then find a great sounding amp that is compatible with your speaker choice. That amp may be a solid state amp if higher power or ability to drive a difficult load becomes an important consideration (I personally don't like most high-powered tube amps, so if my speaker choice were different, I might prefer solid state amplification).

I've run my system, which has a single-ended triode tube amp, with a solid state preamplifier (Levinson No. 32). The sound was pretty good. However, I got a much better sound from a tube linestage (Emotive Audio Epifania) and tube phono (Viva Fono) combination. Does this mean tube preamplification is inherently better? I don't know. It just happens to be the case that this combination works better in my system. Perhaps there is a solid state component that would work even better.

The point is, the Levinson certainly worked well, but a tube alternative worked even better (albeit at a much higher price point).