is getting a tube pre a valid option with ss amp?

i do it with a tad-150 and an electrocompaniet ss amp. to me its the way to get close to best of both worlds. the sound is warm and dynamic, but as with all things, it depends on you, the qualtiy of the equipment/synergy, and the quality of the recordings you listen to. IMHO the more i do this the single biggest factor is the recording quality, no matter which sytem i listen to.

depends on your listening preferences. I have an aesthetix Janus pre and a bat vk-250 amp. I've been happy with the combo, although not blown away by the bat. I likes warm, present sound but didn't want anything too tubey, so this combo has been good. I would change the bat before the aesthetix. If you listen to vinyl then I would def recommend the Janus, which has a good phono stage. Hovland is also killer.

I had a tube pre w/ a Pass Labs amp. The soundstage improved, the vocals became more intimate, and everything sounded more real and human..like you are there. A tube pre is a good move.

Only a complete tube chain will make a significant improvement, especially with vinyl media.

as always...good responses...i actually listened to a tube pre today for the 1st time..local hi fi shop just openned in town...dealer had the all ss sytem running for 20 mins or so..then subbed in a tube integrated...took me all of 0.5 secs to notice the difference in sound..i really liked it..definately a more intimate sound..though now i have read other posts about a tube pre damaging a ss amp???..man..this audiophile stuff just cant be simple!!