I think Raquel nailed it. I have long had a tube pre with a SS amp exactly because I can't afford a very good tube power amp. I can, however afford a good SS amp. I paid a bit under $1500 for a new, one-off Odyssey Stratos HT3 with cap upgrade. For my speakers, which, like your B&Ws, need fairly beefy amplification, $1500 for a tube power amp would have gotten me nowhere.
Other factors to consider:
Heat. A tube pre won't generate a significant amount of heat, but a tube power amp usually does. If you don't like the idea of sitting in sweat while you listen in the warmer months, a cooler-running SS amp is preferable.
Reliability. All tubes can fail, but tube life in most preamps exceeds tube life in most power amps, and biasing is usually not an issue, so a SS amp requires less care and feeding. I once had my dad's old Bogen tube integrated catch fire. Yes, I am scared of a tube power amp.
Impedance matching. My previous pre was C-J PV-11. A great preamp, for sure, but until I upgraded to a McIntosh (a brand known for tube preamps that play well with SS power amps), I didn't realize that I was missing about an octave of bass on the bottom. With the right power amp (SS or tube) I am sure the C-J could reproduce that octave, but with the Stratos, it went missing. I almost fell out of my chair when I hooked up the McIntosh and played some music with deep bass in it.
I have no idea what the impedance matching issue is for SS preamps with tube power amps.
I don't ever recall hearing the B&Ws with tube power amps, either at dealers or at shows, FWIW. B&W owns Classe, and I have heard Classe SS amps (and preamps) make nice sounds with B&W speakers. That doesn't mean tubes won't work, just that the folks at B&W might not be thinking along those lines when they voice and design their products.
Lastly, consider a hybrid power amp, like models from Aesthetix, Vincent or Butler. You get the benefits of a tubed input stage without the challenges of a tubed output stage.
Other factors to consider:
Heat. A tube pre won't generate a significant amount of heat, but a tube power amp usually does. If you don't like the idea of sitting in sweat while you listen in the warmer months, a cooler-running SS amp is preferable.
Reliability. All tubes can fail, but tube life in most preamps exceeds tube life in most power amps, and biasing is usually not an issue, so a SS amp requires less care and feeding. I once had my dad's old Bogen tube integrated catch fire. Yes, I am scared of a tube power amp.
Impedance matching. My previous pre was C-J PV-11. A great preamp, for sure, but until I upgraded to a McIntosh (a brand known for tube preamps that play well with SS power amps), I didn't realize that I was missing about an octave of bass on the bottom. With the right power amp (SS or tube) I am sure the C-J could reproduce that octave, but with the Stratos, it went missing. I almost fell out of my chair when I hooked up the McIntosh and played some music with deep bass in it.
I have no idea what the impedance matching issue is for SS preamps with tube power amps.
I don't ever recall hearing the B&Ws with tube power amps, either at dealers or at shows, FWIW. B&W owns Classe, and I have heard Classe SS amps (and preamps) make nice sounds with B&W speakers. That doesn't mean tubes won't work, just that the folks at B&W might not be thinking along those lines when they voice and design their products.
Lastly, consider a hybrid power amp, like models from Aesthetix, Vincent or Butler. You get the benefits of a tubed input stage without the challenges of a tubed output stage.