Orpheus10, I don't disagree that a tube preamp may be the best way to start, to see if one likes the tube sound.
However, your second statement makes no sense to me. One could say the exact same thing about a tube preamp, that to get the best out of it you will need to roll tubes......that also can get quite expensive, in many cases more expensive than rolling power tubes.
My preamp tubes are more expensive than my amp tubes, because I notice that rolling preamp tubes makes more of a sonic difference than rolling amp tubes.
However, your second statement makes no sense to me. One could say the exact same thing about a tube preamp, that to get the best out of it you will need to roll tubes......that also can get quite expensive, in many cases more expensive than rolling power tubes.
My preamp tubes are more expensive than my amp tubes, because I notice that rolling preamp tubes makes more of a sonic difference than rolling amp tubes.