[acresm22]

Thought I'd post this query to the learned AC inmates.
There's lots of postive feedback from listeners who have matched tube preamps with their solidstate or class D (or T) amps. But what about the other way around...matching a good solid state pre with a tube amp? And I'm referring here to an active pre, not a passive our transformer design.
I ask this because of an experience I had last summer. Was listening to various tube pres with my 2A3 SET amp (now replaced with a 300B SET amp) driving Klipsch LaScalas. Then a friend brought over his Aragon Aurum preamp from the 90s...big thing with separate Ingot power supply. The combo sounded great! Much more quiet than any of the tube pres I'd been sampling, great drive and dynamics...yet the last link before the speakers was stil the SET amp, so the sound was nice and tubular.
This seems like a combination that more people would be touting. Any other touters out there?

Dan

[bolly]

I run a Bryston 11B pre with my Electrohome PA-100 MK-1 monoblocs acresm22, more out of necessity as I don't have a tube preamp. I like the sound!

[flintstone]

I use a tube preamp and tube monos, however, I did get an invite to try a solid state preamp (a new design, not sure if it's out yet?)..... from Henry Ho, of H2O Audio. I had it in my system for two weeks,  around last Christmas.


The combo sounded wonderful, and like you said....using tube amps it still sounded like tubes. Had I been in the market for a new preamp (Henry knew I was not shopping)....I could have been "VERY" happy with that combo for my system.


Dave