Tube Amp or Tube Pre Amp

I've never owned a tube amp, but I've had good success with solid state amplifiers and tube preamps.  Coda amplifier with conrad-johnson preamps, and now a Coda amp with a Linear Tube Audio Microzotl preamp.

The quantity of tubes in some tube amplifiers is intimidating to me. 

I am experienced with both. It kind of depends. I definitely recommend a tubed -preamp (Audio Research my preference, or Conrad Johnson or VAC). This will add a more musical and natural sound to your system. Hard to see a downside. Definitely the first step. Buy used to reduce cost. They are made to last decades.

My first tube amp was revelatory and put an end to me ever wanting another solid state amp again, after over forty years of great and powerful solid state amps. But there is a trade off. That is the artificial brick wall slam goes away. It is replaced with a more nuanced, natural and real sounding bass… likewhat you experience in the real world. But if you sit in front of your system waiting for the next fast wall of bass to hit your chest it might leave you wanting. For me, I noticed the absence and instantly didn’t care because of all the incredible aspects of sound quality I gained. Again, I prefer Audio Resesrch… detailed, powerful and incredibly natural and musical… Conrad Johnson and VAC…. VTL, Cary… the list of great tube amps goes on. There are also budget brands.

By far, the most important choice is the right amp for the particular speaker.  The sound of the system will be primarily determined by the amp-speaker matchup.  If you want to hear what tubes can do for the sound, start with the proper tube amp for your system.  Tube amps vary greatly in sound, much more so than do good solid state amps. 

While I am a tube amp fan, I find that there are many that do not suit my taste such that I would take most solid state amps over such tube amps.  I generally don't like most high-powered tube amps that use a lot of tubes in parallel pushpull to achieve very high power; most sound hard and brittle to me and I would be more likely to take a solid state amp.

Fortunately for you, you have speakers that will work with fairly low-powered tube amps.  You will have to audition some to get a feel of what amps you like.  I have my own preferences which are for some single-ended triode (SET) amps and pushpull amps running EL 84, 6L6, or KT 66 tubes.  The EL 84 tube is run in a lot of more reasonably priced amps and it delivers a lively sound.  SET amps that I like tend to be quite low in power, which may be an issue even with your high efficiency Cornwalls if you have a large room and like to play music at very high volume.  Also, although SET amps appear to be very simple, so they should be affordable, they demand a very good output transformer so decent sounding ones are NOT cheap.  You should at least audition a good SET amp, but, they might be a bit of a risk when it comes to compatibility.

+1 @larryi 

I like using my tube preamp with my solid state amp.The sound is alot better..The power of solid state amp makes the tube preamp sing  out.But that's just me,perhaps. 

If cost of ownership is of any concern, it is worthwhile noting that preamp tubes last a very long time while amplifier power tubes have definite lifetimes.

I say this having recently replaced 8 kt88s in my amp.

I will also say that I wouldn't have it any other way.

Bill

I have always gone with a tube preamp and solid state amp. I currently use a McIntosh C2500 tube preamp and a McIntosh MC 302 solid state amp. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Almost 40 years ago (is it that long?), I switched to all tubes. But along the way, I took the tube preamp with solid state power amp route. This is what I’d recommend initially. 

With my Cornwall 4's the current setup is a Primaluna EVO 400 pre between a Holo May KTE DAC and Audion Mk3 GanFet monobloc power amps.. This is a very congenial grouping for me.

As noted, tube amps are considerably more expensive to keep up (and in power consumption) than tube preamps. Another factor is that tube amps usually to have higher output impedance (lower damping factor), which means that system matching is more important, because the actual frequency response you hear will be more influenced by the impedance curve of your speakers.

As an alternative to a tube amp, you might consider trying a modern SS amp made by a tube manufacturer. I'm thinking in particular of the Class D amps made by Atma-Sphere.

I recently added an Octave Jubilee preamp to my system and its the best preamp I've ever heard, a superb product in my opinion. Adding a tube amp would be too much for me-the tube amps I've heard-a few- are fine well built components, but don't really do it for me. The additional cost of operation and bother wouldn't be worth it for me, and my next move will be to upgrade my amp with SS. For me, a tube or hybrid preamp and SS amp strikes the right balance. Not a bad plan to start with a tube or hybrid pre and if you find yourself wanting more "tubey", go from there. Your ears may be different-its easy to recommend what we have-self affirmation-but your experience may be far different from mine and I don't think there are any absolutes other than what sounds good to your ears in your room.

Good luck!

I'm using a BAT VK-80 Tube Preamp with a CODA #8 solid state amp. I considered getting an all-Tube Amp but decided against it. The downside is higher power tube amps are not cheap. Also consider they get very hot and have expensive power tubes used in them. With this being said my decision would be highly dependent on the types of speakers I would be using. I'm very happy with the preamp/amp combo I'm using now but it's possible that could change.

What is your budget for a tube preamp or amp? 

go all the way - Tube Amp with tube preamp

I would try a tube integrated amp.  An integrated amp is often not that much more than a power amp.  With some amps, the integrated amp is essentially a power amp with input jacks, selector knob and a volume control.

There is nothing like the sound of a GOOD tube preamp. When I replaced my Shiit Freya with a Rogue RP-9 the system was so quiet, and the sound was so ‘sweet’; I could relax into the music, there was no going back. At that time, I had McIntosh MC252 power amps; now the RP-9 is mated to a Rogue ST-100 (Dark) power amplifier (KT120s output tubes), and the sweetness is still there. It is my favorite playback combination driving vintage Warfedale E70s (15” woofer, 1” Mylar tweeter, 5.25” midrange). I have yet to explore the differences between output tubes, like the 300B, EL34, 845, etc. but a good tubed preamp has been my gateway to a smooth sound, holographic sound stage, and generally enjoyable listening. I would start with a really good tubed preamp (don’t skimp) and go from there. 

All tube, but I listen at reasonable volumes.

I second those who have had great experiences with a tube preamp and solid state amps.  I have a Rogue RP-7 tube preamp with Odyssey solid state monobloc power amps that have been significantly upgraded (almost to Kismet) by Odyssey at the time of purchase.  I previously had another solid state amp which I sold to go to a 100 WPC tube power amplifier, with which I was disappointed.  My ears sensed, with the switch to a tube power amp along with the tube preamp, a loss of definition, a diminishing in tonal qualities of the instruments, and less precise imaging.  The switch back to a SS power amp, albeit roughly twice as powerful, brought things back to and beyond what I had originally had with the tube preamp and solid state power amp combo.

I like all tube, but it's probably best to start with a good tube pre ...   C22 mk V would compliment that amp well.  

Tube preamp for sure. As far as the amp goes use whichever (tube or SS) amp you like, as long as the impedance work.

All tubes when feasible. 

stereo5 +1. I have the c2600 with GoldLion tubes. MC252 power amp(SS).  Much improved musical sound over my old c47 preamp. 

My experience moved me from all tubes to a tube pre and ss amp for a few reasons.  Cost of power tubes, heat, better bottom end control at the cost (maybe) of a very little loss in sound stage.  I would start with a good tube pre.  I've found that many newer pre's sound is moving toward a more SS sound.  Do your research.  I landed on a Cary SLP 05 but there are many great options.

Might as well try both.

I ended up with a total tube system and a tube preamp feeding my Lixman M10X.

My last choice would be SS for preamp feeding a tube amp.

https://aricaudio.com/tube-gear/

Tube Pre, your Cornwalls will love it.

You should be able to find something here https://www.stereophile.com/category/tube-preamp-reviews

I have all tube at this point so am openly biased.  The right *quality* of all tube amp system will take you to a sweet place.  But if I was to pick a tube pre to combine with a SS, I would still go with what I currently have:  New Audio Frontiers Stradivari.  With well-chosen NOS tubes, this preamp can combine with many amps, SS or tube, and add a sweetness, tone, and clarity--a balance that will add value to your setup.  It's not low-budget, but much lower than new VAC's, BAT's, or Audio Research's higher-end tube preamps.  To buy or inquire:  Colin at Gestalt Audio.

Definitely a tube preamp, with either solid state or tube amp. I have an Aric Audio Motherlode XL preamp driving: CODA S5.5 SS amp, Tubes4HiFI KT-120 tube amp, and an Aric Audio Transcend "Push Pull" EL 34 amp. The Motherlode excels driving all 3 amps, and a serious upgrade over my last solid state preamp.

Great preamps can be had from: Aric Audio, Spatial Raven preamp, Supratek, LTA, BAT, Backert Labs, Atma-Sphere....my favorites being the Aric Audio and Raven (which was designed by Don Sachs and Lynn Olson). Great luck on your search

+2 @larryi 

Amp and speaker matching is paramount. From personal experience, I have tried a McIntosh 240, Marantz 8b, and a McIntosh 462 with Cornwalls. While the tubes amps sounded nice, the 462 was on another level which your 352 should be as well. I have used a  McIntosh C22 MkV and  Fisher CX-2 with all the above. Personally, I would sell the C49 and try the C22. The C22 responds surprisingly well to tube rolling. I settled on. Telefunken ECC801S in the output, Telefunken ECC83 in the input, and Amperex ECC83’s in the phono slots. Bottom line, solid state amp and tube preamp. 
Happy listening!

Tube preamp with the right solid state or hybrid amp. Tube amps just have too much maintenance for me, especially my older ones that don’t autobias I have PSAudio BHK 300 monoblocks and also the Stellar M1200 monoblocks. My tube preamp is the stellar Aric Audio Motherlode XL. I also use a Space-Tech super rectifier. This has been audio heaven for me.

Yes......What is your budget? (add more!)  300B push-pull amps hard to beat. 

Maybe first add a pair of subs to yr. Cornwalls. As others have said maybe a speaker upgrade but the subs w/ the Cornwalls would be a whole new ballgame.

Some great brands Lamm, Spatial Audio lab, Triode, Air Tight and Shindo come to mind. (Spatial fan and user)

Also some great integrateds can be had.

Re: Primaluna EVO 400 Pre for Cornwalls. It should be noted that the rectifier tubes are late 50s Holland made Mullard GZ34’s with the metal base. A pair of these will set you back but well worth it in my experience. Also, the two gain tubes are vintage Amperex "Bugle Boy" 12au7’s. This combination of tubes takes the Primaluna to a whole new place. It can take any preamp set up for these tube categories to a whole new place.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I would like to be around 5k for the preamp so was thinking maybe a used Mac Mc 2700.  I’m mostly streaming so a built in dac is preferred, 

Check out the BHK series preamp and amps from PS Audio.  Both are Hybrid with tube front ends, so you can roll tubes til you find a combination that you love.