Why don't you tell us about everything you're running now, and maybe also some things you might have heard which got you thinking about upgrading in the first place. And despite what sogood51 would have you believe, the first rule is that there are no rules, and there most certainly do exist tube components which can give very high-purity sound - and others which cannot, and the same with solid-state. One thing I might say to you first though, would be not to necessarily rule out a speaker upgrade as well - I'm not familiar with your speakers, but speakers in general have come a long way since you bought yours.
How Do I Start Playing With the Big Boys and Girls
I've been into all kinds of music for 40+ years. Until now I haven't done anything to upgrade my equipment since 1985. I'm not interested in how loud I can go but how sonicly pure I can attain. What amp and pre-amp should I be looking at to power some Sonus Faber Signum speakers, which are bookshelf in size but big in sound? I'm also using a Linn Sondek LP12 turntable. I'd love to go into the tube amps (McIntosh for example), but I am overwhelmed with the choices and different power specifications.