SS DAC's driving tube pre / amp vs ss pre / amp

best input so far is to auditionh whatever at home and be way more confident with your decision.

although, if the initial sound was not unattractive I doubt it will be unacceptable in your rig either.

the contrary or negative accolades tube gear acquires is way over stated and often an exaggeration of inherent tube characteristics.

as was said, is the inferred element of tube distortion bothersome? obtrusive? unplesant? or even noticeable?
or is it simply something comonly understood when characterizing tube designs which lingers in the back of one's mind?

at some point don't we have to use our two major tools in this hobby?

our ears, and good sense.

BTW, good sense is an 'acquired' taste, and usually quite bothersome when buying high end audio components.

I use a Benchmark DAC 3 to drive my AR Ref 110. I love the sound and feel like I get all the detail from the DAC I need, but I don't think the AR Ref 110 is rich with distortion like some other tube amps.

Whatever coloration your amp is producing should be preserved but not blur the signal from one source more than another. Unless the source is also adding it's own distortion that interacts poorly with the amp's.

A low distortion source should allow you to hear what your amp really sounds like.

I would say absolutely not if anything I find tubes, and you have some great gear, to be at least as transparent as SS if not more so. However since you were able to audition the Dac, presumably at a dealer, are you able to borrow one for a home audition?