Think I want a tube system?


I've haven't listened to a tube system in 30 or 40 years. (I'm retired). I have several general questions. I hope y'all (South Alabama) will help me. I have a fair solid state power amp (Onkya M-504 165w per channel) No pre amp.
Which is the most important a tube pre amp or a tube power amp or both tubes. I would like to keep the power amp, but would sell if necessary. My second question is a little more complicated. If I play music from cds or internet download, isn't that digital. If I recall,digital is not an analog wave form but samples taken along it's path to reproduce an analog wave. The more samples the closer to analog. However, many people felt that no mater how many samples were taken, the nuance of a pure sound wave would be lost. If this is the case, what can tubes give me if my source is digital. Back to vinyl? Even then do they now record digital? I hope this is wrong.
rryall
Sebrof, FWIW, while it is true that tubes manage speakers differently from transistors, you can hear their effects elsewhere in the signal chain. Tubes sound the way they do because they more closely follow the rules of human hearing than transistors. Most notably, they are more linear, and so require less feedback, perhaps none at all, and they make less odd-ordered harmonics at any signal level.
Daveyf, you might want to try a flea powered SET on some Apogee Full Range's and then get back to me.
Thanks Atma. I can only speak from my own experiences, which are much more limited than yours. I owned a tube pre and SS amp, and then a tubes all the way system. While I heard the effect of the tube pre, the tube power amp made much more of a difference for me.
If we listen to music from the late 60s till now,the odds are transistors are already in the chain.I'm not saying forget about tube preamps,but still,I've heard most of the tube sound,or "tube magic" occur at the power amp stage.
Umm Unsound, I think that you may be a little confused... SET's are amps(usually)and my argument is that the Preamp section is more important. Sure SET wouldn't drive Apogees; BUT then neither would most any other tube amp or ss amp for that matter.
So this reference seems somewhat illogical to me.
Have you actually heard a great tube preamp?...Somehow, I seriously doubt it, which is why I suggest that you do so. Maybe then you could debate the differences. I own both a tube preamp and a tube amp and a ss amp. The tube preamp is by far and away the biggest variable. Sure a tube amp sounds different than a ss amp. ( generally speaking) BUT if I were to replace my tube preamp with a typical ss preamp, then ( and BTW I have done this) the sound changes drastically. I suppose YMMV.