I'm using my Virgos with SF Line 3 preamp and Blue Circle BC2 amps, SPM ICs and FIM Gold SC. I'm very happy with the sound, but I find merit in Gregm's argument - a litte more power than the 75WPC of my Blue Circles may go a long way to giving more immediacy and slam to the sound. The Blue Circles never clip though, even at high volume, so I guess they do accomplish the job well enough. My understanding is the the Virgos don't require odles of power, but do benefit from such an approach. I don't have enough experience with preamps to make a good case for choice of SS over tubes, but I can attest to the virtue of using fast, transparent cabling. I've used a lot of good cables on the Virgos and SPM interconnects won the day hands down. Good luck with your speakers - they're great performers.