Tube preamp for SS amp

Hi Chad,

Always a challenge...good luck. I can only share my own experience. the newer CJ (ET3SE and GAT) have SS-like output impedances which can work extremely well with SS amps and Tube amps. GAT is 100ohm and the general rule I am told is 10x this figure for the input impedance of your amp. Personally, I owned the ACT 2 (6H30)...and now the CJ GAT...6922... and I think there is no comparison. Jeff Day, Myles Astor have said so in print, and I know Myles (who owned ART 3 for 12 year)...never went for the ACT 2 but DID go for the GAT in the end, finding it superior. Jeff concurs, and so does Turntable who is also here, and had the ART and now CJ GAT. My two cents. Good luck. BTW, CJET3SE has similar output impedance and thus should also be fine with SS amps.

I know of audiophiles who have mated ARC tube preamps with vintage Threshold amps so the ARC Pass Labs combo might work for you. I say audition the ARC stuff first as it isn't too long of a drive before you start buying and trying.

My first tube preamp was a CJ 16ls 2 that I ran into a Mark Levinson 336 amp. It replaced a Krell SS KRC preamp and I was very happy with the sound - much smoother and more detailed.

The 16LS 2 is a great choice if you can find one used, although it is picky on interconnects and my understanding is it does not do well with long runs.

I ended up selling the Levinson and going to lower power Cary Tube amp which the CJ also did very well with.

I used 1 meter Synergistic Designer Reference (top of the line from early 2000s) RCA cables and was very happy with this setup for many years.

I most recently upgraded to a CJ GAT, which surprisingly, was not a quantum improvement over the 16LS 2.

The most important aspect to consider is the output impedance of a tube preamp. The lower it is , the better it is going to drive SS amps. One of the very few preamps that can drive ANY SS amp is CAT. It has the same 100ohm output impedance as the hybrid GAT LLoydelee21 mentioned. However, CAT is all tube with an outboard power supply.

Dealer disclosure.

I recently swapped to a cary slp-05 from a classe dr6 in my rig. It feeds a sanders sound esl-300 ss amp and a pair of Maggie 3.7's.I should have made the swap to a tube pre a long time ago.... it is the best upgrade in sound quality I have had from one piece of gear. Since it only uses 6sn7's there is a huge number of brands and types of tubes to roll both NOS and new production you can find the exact sound you want easily.