going from tube preamp to solid state

I have several preamps, but the one I’m using now is made by Dodd Audio and is battery operated. I’m using Tungsgram 6922 tubes. It’s dead quite with 16db of gain, and I have it mated with a First Watt SIT-3. If you can find one used it would make a wonderful preamp. This preamp has a number of good reviews

I think alot has to do with the design and implementation of the preamp, whether tube or SS and how well our ears are trained to hear these deviations. I had a Rotel RC-970BX preamp and thought it was sounded good, and it did but when I went to a RC-995 and honestly, their was a difference especially in the bass region. To me, bass is important in general, anything from subbass to 250hz. Any fundamental sound produced in this area may have an effect in the higher octaves.

There's an enormous difference between various brands of tubes.  I have no experience with the 6SN7.  My preamp runs the 6CG7, which is the electrical equivalent.  But there are big differences between various manufacturers.

Try doing some tube rolling and find what sounds good to you.

I have a highly customized SMC Audio SS preamp that sounds fantastic.

I would suggest giving SMC audio a call because they’ll build something that can meet your personal needs, wants, and budget.

I've had my two Dynaco ST 70's and PAS 3 preamp and Magnepan and Vandersteen speakers for almost fifty years and loved them. I've been careful to to maintain and upgrade the Dynas  but they have lost their luster  for me. I suspect it's mostly due to my diminished  hearing ability.  I've just replaced them with a McCormack DNA-0.5 Deluxe, a Parasound 850 preamp and an SMSL DAC and I'm in heaven again. It may be due to these particular components and not their solid stateness but  the music is back;

@innersound300

I tried various combos of amps and pre amps over many decades. In the end I generally preferred a solid state amp and a tube preamp.

I have the same preference.

Consider posting the issue that you’re having with sound reproduction, such as soundstage and post a photo of your system and a listing of components in your profile. This will get you to a better solution without presupposing that the problem has to do with your preamp.

I will never ever get rid of my tube audio equipment.  Preamp or power amp. I also will never ever give up my solid state power amp or preamp.  They both have there own area's of sound reproduction plus and minus.  I have 3 different systems each one of th has a tube preamplifier connected to a solid state power amplifier.  Solid state for the deep more control bass and tube for liquid midrange and sweet silky highs.i also have system with just solid state equipment and one system that's all tube- power amp  and preamp.  Like I mentioned earlier they both have there plus and minus but I need both to make ears whole.

So let me get this straight; you like the sound of your preamp but not the tubes in it?  How do questions like this get past the moderator?  All I'll say is that if you listen to records through a low (0.2 mV or lower) output cartridge, odds are a solid state preamp will be quieter with less hiss and less typical tube noise.

I don't have experience with good tube preamps and want to avoid them due to maintenance, microphonics, noise, distortion, and power usage. I just received my benchmark HPA4 and have been pleased so far. The clarity, imaging, and wide bandwidth are amazing. 30 day money back and the HPA4 is $3300 and the LA4 w/o headphone is $2900. I came here to say that PCs and fuses can help you tailor the sound, even with these types. Look at the rest of your system too. My next stop in a guest for warmth with all SS, all digital is the wall outlet. I have Furutech GTD-R which has a bit of U shaped EQ, and was suggested to use SR Purple or Audience outlets.

Maybe some heavy McMasters felt glued on the front of your large floor standing speakers would help with imaging. Like old Dunlavys or Wilsons. I plan to try that with my psb platinum T8 towers.

@nagel

If you really love great sound quality you really deserve to own a great tube preamp. It is easy to develop a list of potential problems with a technology and stay a way from it.

For several decades I stayed away from tubed amps. For me, it was a real mistake. The “problems” were so minuscule and the benefits so large it isn’t funny. I have owned tubed preamps for decades and tube amps for only about 5,000 hours of listening time (the last 4 years). I wish I had allowed myself to get a great tube amp decades ago.

My experience. But most of the audiophiles I know switched to tubes late and never went back to so,I’d state,

OK, so you have PBN speakers (someone mentioned that you owned them but I didn't see it in a search), they are 42 inches from the front wall and they are firing straight ahead and your room is 12x11x8.  Fairly small room for PBN speakers, it seems.  I looked at the PBN website and most of their speakers are large and horn loaded in the high frequencies. Their smallest speaker has two eight inch woofers and a ribbon high frequency driver and the ribbon seems to be mounted in a waveguide/small horn as well.  Not sure if you know, but horn speakers are very directional and in your smaller sized room, a lot of the high frequency information may be going right past you, straight to the back wall.  A lot of set up advice tells you to keep speakers away from the side walls.  For most speakers that have dome tweeters, this is very good advice.  In your case, not so much.  Horns and dipole speakers (electrostatics, planars, etc.) can be placed much closer to side walls without adverse effects.  I would try moving your speakers closer to the sidewalls (maybe a foot and a half to two feet away, experiment) and toe them in a bit, not pointing at your ears, but maybe at your shoulders and see if that helps.  Toe-in too much and the soundstage will close down and get smaller, too little tow in and the sound can sometimes become more diffuse.  I currently own a 6SN7 preamp, and it has a marvelous soundstage, but then I am running some Sylvania "Bad Boys" from the early 1950's, so that helps. They were a dramatic change from the Chinese tubes that it shipped with.  I have also owned  preamps with 6922's and a couple of preamps with 12AX7"s. They all had an excellent soundstage.  I have also run several SS preamps, and they also threw a quite decent soundstage.  In a room your size I would personally try some monitor speakers that are known for their imaging and a sub woofer or two, depending on how much bass you like.  The only other thing I can think of to suggest, is to reverse the phase on one end of your speaker cable.  Just swap positive to negative on each speaker and see if that works.  If that works, rock on and let us know.  If not, don't forget to change them back.  Hope this helps.

As everyone else here, I have been through this journey with fairly intense involvement (I mean spending on average at least 3-4 hours every day) and making changes (after careful research, audition, discussion) over period of 4 years to ultimately get my current set up (still not 100% yet, but quite there: always room for improvement). In my opinion changing different components has major impact on certain very key factors: I have spent ample time and money on every component diligently (speakers, amps, preamps, dac, streamer, cables, footers, stands, room treatments), I mean a lot of experimentations (changing one component at a time to know exact impact of each). You have to follow logically, else, you get frustrated. I am not telling you have not done your part: In fact, I am assuming you might have done better than me.

Having said that for soundstage, besides speakers and amps, biggest and major factor playing huge role is Room treatment: I learned this painfully and expensively. Trying to change gears after gears with some (but not major) impact, until I paid good time and attention to room treatment. Room treatment can make expensive gears sound cheap (or politely put suboptimal). I am sure you have done your room treatment, but if you are struggling with soundstage, I would pay attention to room treatment again. Changing electronic gears (preamps, dac, streamer) does change soundstage, but they do change more of tonality (and other characters which I am not going to talk). Another important thing to help with soundstage (can compensate for suboptimal room treatment) is addition of subwoofers (I am not using it, as I have had very good results with my room set up without subwoofers). I was heavy SS guy and now I am all tube guy.  

Just to be pre-amp specific: I have tried a bunch of tube and solid state Preamps: ultimately ended up with Aries Cerat. They are very expensive, but in my opinion, end game gears. If your budget stretches, try them or hear them. I have Aries Cerat Kassandra Mk2 dac and incito S preamp (eventually will change to ageto preamp and ianus essentia amps). 

My response is based on my observation in my set up. Ultimately, music is subjective and you change things to make your ears happy/ satisfied. There is no right or wrong answer: just preference. 

I am very busy lately and have not posted for a while. I am on vacation now and thought to help out our fellow friends who are going through this "audio/music nirvana". If I don't respond again, it is not I am ignoring or rude. I just have enough time in my plate. Remember it is "your ears, your money and your music". 

For my money the 6SN7 is the far superior tube, and they’re a much larger variety of them in NOS. Plus you can swap them for a CV181. The 6922 is far more limited, imo. But to each their own. 

I have not read all the posts in this Thread and after approx' 30 Years of use Tube Amplification no longer use a Traditional Design Tube Pre-Amp.

Valves that are mentioned in other Posts, I have got a familiarity with and have even Rolled types as Vintage thought to modern versions.

I have been demonstrated Tube Pre-Amp's that are carrying a substantial retail cost, 'for my budget anyhow'.

A complete turnaround occurred when I heard a Basic Pass Nutube Korg B1 Pre-Amp as a Basic Model. 

The impression made was quite something, not too further on, I was demonstrated a re-think on this design, where upgrades were produced.

The upgrade Version Blew me away, and a few others who were at the Debut Demonstration.

I have now been loaned a Korg B1 for a considerable period, which had minor tweaks to the circuit over the standard design.

Within my system this has been A/B compared to Pre-Amps owned and loaned. It has stood out as a very worthy device.

I have also had the earlier mentioned Upgrade Version compared to the loaned Korg B1, and the Upgrade has been superb.

This Pre- Amp has made a big impact on the Local HiFi Group and there are now Five Versions in use excluding a Balanced Version produced.  

At present I am having a Balanced Version produced for myself, that will incorporate all the circuit upgrades that has been extremely impressive to experience.

This is not an expensive option, there is lots of support to be found, but might need a support from a EE, as I have chose to.