Tube Amp or Tube Pre Amp


For those of you who have experience with tubes, what would be your preference.

Tube Amp with tube preamp, Tube Amp with solid state preamp, or Solid state Amp with tube preamp

My system currently is Mcintosh MC352 Amp Solid State, Mcintosh C49 Pre Amp SS, Klipsch Cornwall IV speakers. 

I want to try tubes so with my current set up should I go tube amp or tube preamp?

Thanks

referee1

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. 

In that system, having owned Cornwalls and different tube, and SS, amps and preamps, I would drive the Cornies with a push pull tube amp. YMMV.

IMHO general advice is of marginal utility as matching specific amps to specific speakers is the challenge. 

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.