I'm a purist. Tubes (SET) all the way. Pre to amp. It works for my ears. SET, particulary, very magical, holographic, you've heard the whole nine of adjectives: and they are true. I wouldn't let an SS pre amp touch my SET amp. Kind of like putting slip covers over a beautiful new sofa. Of course, there are probably SS pre amps that can do the job that my pre does, but I gots to draw the line somewhere in my sonic journey.