If you had to choose: tube amp or tube pre-amp?

I want the cleanest possible unstressed Class A happy little signal to come from my SS preamp and get massaged by the tubes in my amp before it hits my ears. Then I can blame the amp if it's too greasy. Besides, in a tube amp you often get large (and small) tubes to look at and burn your fingers on, and that's important. Often tube preamps have hidden tubes inside someplace so you just have to imagine them, so if I ever do buy a tube preamp I really have to have exposed tubes. Ever sit and stare at a transistor? No, you haven't, unless you've been a pathetic hostage tied to a bench in some maniac's audio repair shop...but that's another story...I also use a little tube headphone amp sometimes...mostly because it's cute.

Tube pre, SS amp has worked best for me thru the years.

So the general consensus seems to be a tube pre to add to a s.s. amp.

My budget is tight (like living on student loan tight) so I've been looking at the Little Dot MK IV SE (with NOS tubes), but I wasn't sure if it will work with my B&K amp??

If I could find a good deal on a AES AE-3 that would be great, but so far no luck. I've also been reading good things about Dared SL2000A with different tubes.

Any thoughts??

Thanks!

Generally speaking, if you are trying to chose between an amp and a preamp, I would definately say get the preamp first. Not only that, but the preamp is so important to get right, I would buy the best one I could afford, even if it means you have to buy lesser amp and/or wait.

I would say spring for the tube preamp first since you already have a decent amp.
The efficiency of your speakers would need to be closely matched a tube amp type ( P-P, SET, etc.).