Tube Pre-Amp with Solid State Amp?

From the OP's opening post:

"The question is, a lot of folks say/think the preamp is the heart and sole of a system, should I go tube preamp with solid state amp?"

Please read Zippyy

It depends on how you define hassle. If you want to just turn the system on & listen w/o warm up, then tubes can be a hassle. There are some SS pieces that need warming up too, so warm up isn't a blanket statement that only applies to tubes. Then there's biasing, although some pieces have auto biasing. Then again, you might be referring to replacing tubes. The hassle factor might be the cost or frequency of replacement. Again, it depends on what constitutes a hassle for you.

I agree w/Guidocorona & especially to keep an open mind.

As for the heart & soul, again that depends on your perception. With that, I 2nd what Tgyeti said.

Read Zippyy read.

I replaced my SS pre with a tube pre and SS power amp and noticed a big difference, but I never tried combining a SS pre with a tubed amp. After about six months with the tube pre and SS power amp, I replaced my SS power amp with a tubed power amp. I now have a tubed preamp and power amp. I wouldn't say that tubes are a hassle, but they do require more care than SS. As mentioned, impedance matching is important. Input impedance of the Power amp should be at least 10 times larger than the preamps output. My amp input impedance is 100,000 ohms and the preamp output impedance is 400 ohms.

Thank you guys. To clarify. I didn't mean to debate the pre-amp being the heart and soul of a system. What I was getting at was if matching a tube preamp with a SS amp was a good idea? ie Best of both worlds. I am after ease of use, convenience, but with great sound and value.