It's a playground. I'm a tube guy, but right now I've got my speakers bi-amped with a 600wpc solid state amps on the bass speaker drivers and 100wpc tube amps on the tweeter/mid drivers. Gives me everything I want, bass drive/slam + purity of tone and harmonic "rightness" I associated with tubes. Oh, and my preamp is a hybrid.
YMMV. My advice would be to find the amps that work best with your speakers (assuming you're committed to the speakers). If you can find the ideal synergy, it matters a lot less whether its tube or silicon. Check owners who are happy with your speakers, and see what they're using.
With the right synergies tubes are unnecessary, and they certainly do extract penalties for reliability, heat, inefficient power use, and even a potential safety liability if you have young children wandering around. I don't think there' a magic bullet. My own experience is that I've liked the sound better most often with tubes, but I've heard some damn nice speaker/amp pairings that are NOT tube amps.
As for whether tubes work better in pre or amp, I like to have them somewhere in the signal chain. But again, design trumps materials. Listen and let your ears be your guide. And always remember: Free advice is worth what you pay for it!
HTH
YMMV. My advice would be to find the amps that work best with your speakers (assuming you're committed to the speakers). If you can find the ideal synergy, it matters a lot less whether its tube or silicon. Check owners who are happy with your speakers, and see what they're using.
With the right synergies tubes are unnecessary, and they certainly do extract penalties for reliability, heat, inefficient power use, and even a potential safety liability if you have young children wandering around. I don't think there' a magic bullet. My own experience is that I've liked the sound better most often with tubes, but I've heard some damn nice speaker/amp pairings that are NOT tube amps.
As for whether tubes work better in pre or amp, I like to have them somewhere in the signal chain. But again, design trumps materials. Listen and let your ears be your guide. And always remember: Free advice is worth what you pay for it!
HTH