Let's forget about being politically correct

Here is Bel Canto equipment review that discusses this very topic with interesting insights.

http://www.soundstage.com/earmarked/earmarked200108.htm

Good link Rgodin. Interesting part in the article:
". . .the entire circuitry of the PRe1 (plus the complexity of the second Acoustic Zen Silver Reference interconnect with its two RCA jacks) amounted to no more sonic influence than one high-quality attenuator on its own. This would remain an odd and incomplete statement about the PRe1's ghost-like sonic non-existence if I didn't add what else it afforded: very suave remote control over 0.5dB volume increments; channel balance, input selection, mute and input-specific gain settings; automatic default to each input's last volume setting."
So what Srajan seems to be saying is just use a passive pre unless you want balance, mute etc.
Problems with this are:
1)impedance matching of source to amp.
2)what if tube amp can't drive speakers? This case is commonly when people go to tube pre.

I'm having very good results using a Placette Active Linestage with a pair of hot-rodded Atma-Sphere MA-1 Mk II.2's. As advertised, the Placette is extremely transparent, allowing the wonder of the Atma's to be fully appreciated. I truly believe that if you're going to mix SS with tubes, the preamp should be the SS partner. Tube amps (particularly OTL's) are just very difficult to beat--in fact I'm not sure they can be. As always, however, your final results will be SYSTEM dependent.

Sean and especially Tok20000 are right on! Danner, less than one song? Considering the options that are available with the TacT, its hard to take your opinion seriously.

Silence can be heard, intuitively, existentially - and that is what tube pre's excell at as opposed to SS pre's. Yes, get an old tube amp with old tubes, or not synergized, or put with a person who defines the existential nature of space (read: air) as noise and a void as natural, and, sure, you won't like a tube pre (and that's apart from the harmonic denuding issues...).

While I respect twl's opinion - I really do - and while I am cognizant of how nice it feels to say with egalitarian zeal that all is radically equal (not directed at twl), it ain't the truth.

Listen to Rcrump; he knows of what he speaks...