Adding tubes to SS system-Tube Preamp Amp or Int?

I am not a power tube guru so will defer to others for details of tube maintenance.

I think it safe to say power tubes tend to be the most shot lived and must be replaced periodically.

I do not believe one tube going bad requires others be replaced in general, but finding the bad or lesser performing tubes can be a challenge without the right equipment and know how and desire. That is always the key.

Personally, I am used to dead quiet background noise and maintaining this with tubes just n the pre-amp can be a challenge a times.

Also, replacing tubes, particularly larger power tubes, is not an inexpensive endeavor these days like it once was in their heyday.

Tube power amp is "tubiest". You have to make sure your speakers are tube friendly for this to work optimally though.

I use a tube pre-amp. That introduced a healthy dose of positive tube attributes without sounding overtly "tubey". That is good because I want my music to sound natural, whatever that means, not like the technology used. I'm sure different tube pre-amps will sound significantly different from each other and not all present the same results, especially if compared by swapping into the same system.

If you use a tube pre-amp, impedance matching to an appropriate power amp is important to optimize results, especially if a SS power amp is used.

I also have and use both SS and tube DACs. The tube DAC can also provide an audible dose of tube like sound. It can vary to quite SS like to distinctly "tubey" depending on the specific tube used and teh rest of the system, so tube rolling can be done to tweak the sound significantly in some cases.

I've used different tube makes in the pre-amp and have heard little difference in the sound there to-date from one type to another, other than background noise perhaps which can vary greatly from tube to tube, depending on health and quality.

For a tube integrated, again the main thing is to make sure the speakers are tube friendly and that the amp has enough power to truly drive them well.

Also, expect with a tube amp that is well matched to speakers that less power may suffice to deliver good sound at higher volumes than with SS amps. The reason for this is that tube amps tend towards soft clipping while SS amps tend towards hard clipping.

Agree with larryi in general.

I would not assume any of those are "tube friendly".

That's not to say they might not sound perfectly good to you running off a tube amp.

The thing is that at least on paper, which as said is only an indicator, I would expect tonal colorations at certain frequencies and possibly challenges with dynamics and loudness as well with the less efficient models.

The end results may still sound very nice or even quite good, but I would be willing to bet not optimal and that a better matching for better balance, dynamics and ability to go loud is possible at the same price poit.

You might want to start a thread to ask specifically about user experience with Vandersteen speakers and tube amps. I am not very familiar with that combo so I cannot comment. I would expect challenges with dynamics and loudness and perhaps some coloration due to impedance related issues however off the cuff based on specs. I think Vandys and SS are a common pairing and I would personally probably lean that way.

Also keep in mind that the down side off tubes is that power amps in particular require some maintenance of the tubes over time. Poorly performing tubes can be a pain in the but, especially when there are a lot of them. I like the sound of the half dozxen or so tubes I use in my pre-amp and DAC, but even this results in time spent making sure things are in good working order that I would not have to deal with if all SS.