I have been thinking of a tube preamp with a SS amp as a dream system, but I have a LOT of research to do. QUOTE]
Beakman there are lots and lots of tube gear to choose from, but I firmly believe when starting out stick with your ABC's !!!.........Audio Research,
BAT, Conrad Johnson or Cary !! others may suggest some of the more "boutique" brands but trust me NONE have the support and backing like the aforementioned group.......alright, I'll throw "Mac" in there as well !!
Why the tube pre-amp vs tube amps? The pre-amp will smooth out the digital signal coming from the DAC/CD player. You will lose nothing by the analog signal going into a SS amp. But for a very LUSH sound, the tubes just make those panels sing.
I had a DAC, several years ago, that had a pair of tubes in the output stage, it did great smoothing out the transport's signal, but at the price of transparency, sound stage and resolution. Today I run all digital up to the SS amp. I guess I just got used to it :-(